Virginia's Spanberger to deliver Democratic response to State of the Union
#State of the Union#Abigail Spanberger#Democratic response#Trump administration#Virginia governor#Chuck Schumer#Congressional leadership#2026 election cycle
📌 Key Takeaways
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger will deliver the Democratic response to Trump's State of the Union address
The response will follow Trump's February 24, 2026 address to Congress
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer praised Spanberger for putting 'service over politics'
Spanberger will focus on lower costs, healthcare protection, and defending freedoms in her response
📖 Full Retelling
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger will deliver the Democratic response to President Trump's State of the Union address next week, as announced by party leaders in Congress on Thursday in Washington, D.C., following Trump's upcoming address to a joint session on February 24, 2026. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer praised Spanberger's approach, stating that she has always 'put service over politics — defending our national security and delivering real results for working families.' The selection of Spanberger highlights the Democratic Party's strategy to showcase moderate leadership capable of addressing key concerns of American voters including economic security and healthcare protection. Trump's upcoming address will mark his first formal State of the Union of his second term, with the president having addressed Congress in March of last year, though that was not considered a formal State of the Union address. The Democratic response serves as a crucial counterpoint to the administration's agenda and provides an opportunity for the opposition party to present their vision for the country.
🏷️ Themes
Political Response, Democratic Leadership, Governance Priorities
Annual report by the president of the United States
The State of the Union address (sometimes abbreviated to SOTU) is an annual message delivered by the president of the United States to a joint session of the United States Congress near the beginning of most calendar years on the current condition of the nation. The speech generally includes reports...
Abigail Anne Spanberger ( SPAN-bur-gər; née Davis; born August 7, 1979) is an American politician and former intelligence officer serving since 2026 as the 75th governor of Virginia. A member of the Democratic Party, she served from 2019 to 2025 as the U.S. representative for Virginia's 7th congress...
The governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia is the head of government of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The governor is head of the executive branch of the government of Virginia and is the commander-in-chief of the Virginia National Guard and Virginia Defense Force.
Three signatories of the Declar...
Politics Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger to deliver Democratic response to Trump's State of the Union By Kaia Hubbard Kaia Hubbard Politics Reporter Kaia Hubbard is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital, based in Washington, D.C. Read Full Bio Kaia Hubbard February 19, 2026 / 2:19 PM EST / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Washington — Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger will deliver the Democratic response to President Trump's State of the Union address next week, party leaders in Congress announced on Thursday. "Gov. Spanberger has always put service over politics — defending our national security and delivering real results for working families," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement. "She knows Americans want lower costs, safer communities, and a stronger democracy — not chaos and corruption. Gov. Spanberger will lay out a clear path forward: lower everyday costs, protect healthcare, and defend the freedoms that define who we are as a nation." Mr. Trump is set to deliver the State of the Union address on Feb. 24. The address will mark his first State of the Union of his second term. The president addressed a joint session of Congress in March of last year, but it was not considered a formal State of the Union address. This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
