“The point is there is absolutely no evidence Republican policies made life better for you, the people of Virginia,” Obama said on Saturday at the Ted Constant Convocation Center. “They’ve devoted enormous energy in trying to entrench themselves in power and punishing their enemies, and enriching their friends and silencing their critics.” 

“They put on a big show of deporting people and targeting transgender folks; they never miss a chance to scapegoat minorities and DEI for every problem under the sun,” he continued about President Donald Trump’s opposition to diversity, equity, and inclusion policies. “You got a flat tire, DEI.” 

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE ISSUES DOMINATING THE VIRGINIA ELECTION

Obama remains one of the party’s most influential figures with black voters nationwide, and Democrats are hoping his appearance will energize what has historically been a key voting bloc in off-year elections, when turnout is typically lower. 

But the race is complicated by the fact that Virginia Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears is running to become the commonwealth’s first female governor, and if victorious, she would also become the nation’s first African American female governor. However, she has struggled to gain support from black voters.

Enthusiasm for Obama was clear in Norfolk, where black voters said they were eager to see him as they waited for Spanberger’s rally.

“With all the things that are going on, all the harshness and all the talking, I think hearing Obama’s voice is just going to bring joy to a lot of people,” Virginia voter Gwendolyn Wilson, 63 of Franklin, Virginia, told the Washington Examiner.  

Virginia Democratic Party Chairman Lamont Bagby said the message of unity was resonating with voters even before Obama took the stage. “That word ‘we,’ yes we can,” he said — a deliberate nod to Obama’s signature campaign slogan that helped fire up the crowd. 

But black voters waiting to hear Obama were adamant their dislike for Earle-Sears was predicated on policy — not her race. 

“She acts the same way as Donald Trump,” said Lloyd Williams, 54, who lives in Norfolk. “I don’t agree with her policies either. I looked at her debate when she was here at Norfolk State, and I think that was the worst catastrophe I’ve seen in a person … of color in my life. So that’s why I definitely didn’t vote for her.” 

That same sentiment was also echoed by first-time Gen Z voter Rachel Liddie from Virginia Beach.

“I’m not sure if it is about race too much, but, you know, I feel like it is good to see, like your people in office, but it’s also based on, their ideas and their moral beliefs and everything. So that’s why this time around, I’m not voting for Earle-[Sears],” Liddie told the Washington Examiner.

WHO IS ABIGAIL SPANBERGER? MEET THE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE FOR VIRGINIA GOVERNOR

With three days to go before Election Day many prominent African American groups have not endorsed or welcomed Earle-Sears. Although, billionaire and BET co-founder Robert L. Johnson did donate $500,000 to Earle-Sears’s gubernatorial campaign after she was targeted with a racist sign at an Arlington County school board meeting. 

Hampton Roads — which includes Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Newport News and Hampton — is home to one of the largest concentrations of black voters in the commonwealth. In Norfolk, black residents make up roughly 42% of the population, according to the U.S. census. The surrounding cities also carry some of the highest black voting shares in Virginia, making the region central to any Democrat hoping to win statewide.

Virginia borders the nation’s capital, an area with one of the largest populations of federal employees and contractors affected by the government shutdown, an issue that was mentioned by many voters. It also is home to three of the nation’s five wealthiest counties, the world’s largest naval base, a strong Bible Belt presence, and a black population of about 20%.

Recent elections show why the stop matters in galvanizing black voters:

• In 2020, former President Joe Biden won Norfolk with more than 70% of the vote, heavily driven by strong support in majority-black precincts.
• In the 2021 gubernatorial race, Democratic turnout dipped in Hampton Roads, contributing to Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s (R-VA) narrow statewide win.

• Virginia Democrats regained ground in 2023, winning back the state Senate and flipping the House of Delegates — again relying on Hampton Roads’ urban core to carry margins.

SUCCEEDING YOUNGKIN: WINSOME EARLE-SEARS TRIES TO RECREATE THE GOP SURGE IN VIRGINIA

Spanberger’s campaign has increasingly emphasized economic issues, education funding, and protecting abortion access — topics Democratic strategists say consistently rank as top concerns among black voters in the region based on public polling from the Wason Center for Civic Leadership and national surveys from Pew Research Center. 

Yet for Democrats, mobilizing black voters in Hampton Roads could be the difference between winning and losing statewide. 

Black residents also said the race represents both a test of policy priorities and the enduring power of their vote. However, many voters said they were worried about the economic impact of Trump’s policies on Virginia. 

“I mean, he’s been in there, changing stuff, making the ballroom and stuff like that. I mean, we have problems here in the United States, and they send the money into foreign countries and stuff like that, instead of taking care of home,” Williams said.