{"id":2573402,"date":"2026-02-25T08:09:57","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T13:09:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/spanbergers-affordability-pitch-collapses-under-her-own-record\/"},"modified":"2026-02-25T08:13:55","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T13:13:55","slug":"spanbergers-affordability-pitch-collapses-under-her-own-record","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/spanbergers-affordability-pitch-collapses-under-her-own-record\/","title":{"rendered":"Spanberger&#8217;s Affordability Pitch Collapses Under Her Own Record"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fspanbergers-affordability-pitch-collapses-under-her-own-record%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2573402&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>this Federalist analysis examines Abigail Spanberger\u2019s affordability-focused messaging during the 2025 Virginia governor\u2019s race and how it relates to her voting record and policy proposals. It notes that Spanberger framed questions about affordability in response to the State of the Union and has long used an affordability narrative in campaigns, a strategy described by multiple outlets as turning key elections in Virginia into tests of Trump-era economic conditions.<\/p>\n<p>The piece argues there is a disconnect between Spanberger\u2019s branding and governance. It points out that, in Congress, she voted in line with President Biden on many issues, while the article attributes to her a policy agenda that could raise costs for Virginians. It <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >highlights proposed measures<\/a> such as House Bill 978,which would expand a sales\/use tax to services,and HB 900,which would add regional taxes and fees. It also mentions her push to rejoin the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. The author contends that democrats count on Americans not noticing that life is allegedly becoming more affordable under Trump, while Spanberger and othre Democrats support policies the piece argues could make life more expensive. The author of the piece is Brianna Lyman, an elections correspondent for The Federalist.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-body body-md bdr-top-black pt-30\">\n<div class=\"row justify-content-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12\">\n<figure class=\"article-thumbnail mb-30 mb-sm-60\">\n<div class=\"article-thumbnail-caption d-flex align-items-center justify-content-md-end label-xs mt-15\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-camera me-10\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Image Credit<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=jICy6cXhhJk\">  Abigail Spanberger \/ Youtube <\/a>       <\/div>\n<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-share text-center article-share-simple\">\n<h5 class=\"label-sm mb-10\">Share<\/h5>\n<ul class=\"article-share-list list-unstyled m-0 p-0\">\n<li class=\"article-share-facebook m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/02\/25\/spanbergers-affordability-pitch-collapses-under-her-own-record\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-facebook\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Facebook<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-twitter m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=Spanberger%E2%80%99s%20Affordability%20Pitch%20Collapses%20Under%20Her%20Own%20Record&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/02\/25\/spanbergers-affordability-pitch-collapses-under-her-own-record\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Twitter<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-truth-social m-0\">       <a href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/share?title=Spanberger%E2%80%99s%20Affordability%20Pitch%20Collapses%20Under%20Her%20Own%20Record&amp;url=https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/02\/25\/spanbergers-affordability-pitch-collapses-under-her-own-record\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" fill=\"currentColor\" style=\"width:36px;height:auto;\" viewbox=\"0 0 92 93\"><path d=\"M69.444 55.716H56.772v10.37h12.672zM64.487 37.795V27.32H38.666v38.664h13.18v-28.19zM21.05 27.321h12.653v10.471H21.051z\" https:><\/path><\/svg>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article on Truth Social<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-link m-0\">       <button data-clipboard-text=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/02\/25\/spanbergers-affordability-pitch-collapses-under-her-own-record\/\" data-tooltip-content=\"Copied!\" class=\"clip tooltip\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-link-variant\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Copy Article Link<\/span>       <\/button>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\">       <a href=\"mailto:?subject=Spanberger%E2%80%99s%20Affordability%20Pitch%20Collapses%20Under%20Her%20Own%20Record&amp;body=%20https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/02\/25\/spanbergers-affordability-pitch-collapses-under-her-own-record\/\" target=\"_blank\">         <i class=\"mdi mdi-email\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>         <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Share Article via Email<\/span>       <\/a>     <\/li>\n<li class=\"article-share-email m-0\"><span class=\"printfriendly pf-button  pf-alignleft\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/thefederalist.com\/#\" rel=\"nofollow\" onclick=\"window.print(); return false;\" title=\"Printer Friendly, PDF &amp; Email\"><span id=\"printfriendly-text2\" class=\"pf-button-text\"><i class=\"mdi mdi-printer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<p>&ldquo;Is the president working to make life more affordable for you and your family?&rdquo; Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger asked Americans during the Democrat response to President Donald Trump&rsquo;s State of the Union Address. <\/p>\n<p>It&rsquo;s a familiar line of questioning from Spanberger &mdash; though it wasn&rsquo;t prompted by anything Trump has said or done. Trump&rsquo;s address highlighted falling inflation and easing prices thanks to his leadership. But it was familiar because it was the same <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2026\/01\/20\/taxing-lawnmowers-gym-passes-and-doordash-proves-dems-actually-hate-affordability\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">affordability<\/a> schtick she used when she campaigned for governor in November.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2 d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1476784378\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1463670073398-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The 2025 Virginia gubernatorial race was repeatedly framed as a referendum on affordability, as The Federalist reported in January.<\/p>\n<p>Affordability takes center stage in New Jersey, Virginia governor races,&rdquo;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/Politics\/affordability-takes-center-stage-new-jersey-virginia-governor\/story?id=126900432\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ABC News<\/a>&rsquo; Benjamin Siegel wrote on Nov. 2, 2025.&nbsp;&ldquo;Spanberger turns Virginia governor&rsquo;s race into a test of Trump&rsquo;s economy,&rdquo;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2025\/10\/29\/spanberger-shutdown-affordability-00626470\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Politico&rsquo;s<\/a>&nbsp;Erin Doherty and Brakkton Booker wrote on Oct. 29, 2025. &ldquo;Spangberger has stuck to a message on the economy, specifically the cost of life for Virginians.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not about inflation or the economy &mdash; the election instead delivered a &lsquo;wake-up call&rsquo; on affordability politics, top pollster says,&rdquo;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/fortune.com\/2025\/11\/08\/affordability-politics-off-year-elections-inflation-housing-food-fuel-electricity-costs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Fortune&rsquo;s<\/a>&nbsp;Jason Ma wrote on Nov. 8, 2025.<\/p>\n<p>But branding is not the same as governing.<\/p>\n<p>While in Congress, Spanberger voted 100 percent of the time with then-President Joe Biden, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nrcc.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/NRCC-Spanberger-Memo.pdf?utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=ncl_amplify&amp;utm_campaign=260224-what_you_need_to_know_ahead_of_spanbergers_sotu_response&amp;utm_content=ncl-N3XVJv4Vn3&amp;_nlid=N3XVJv4Vn3&amp;_nhids=ncr9jTP5tNYMls\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">according<\/a> to the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC). Some of the items Spanberger voted for included banning gas stoves and voting against permitting medical care for babies born alive after a failed abortion, according to the NRCC.<\/p>\n<p>Spanberger&rsquo;s radical policies have followed her into the governor&rsquo;s mansion.<\/p>\n<p>Under Spanberger&rsquo;s leadership, Virginia Democrats have introduced <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/NoVA_Campaigns\/status\/2013121149014569189?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">House Bill 978<\/a>,&nbsp;which would dramatically expand Virginia&rsquo;s sales and use tax to cover a bevy of everyday services. Under the bill, taxes would be applied to gym memberships and fitness classes, dry cleaning, laundry services, pet care, home repairs and cleaning services, car repairs, delivery and shipping services, digital services, and event planning.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lis.virginia.gov\/bill-details\/20261\/HB900\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">House Bill 900<\/a>&nbsp;would add a retail and use tax on &ldquo;any county or city that is a member of the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission at a rate of 0.385 percent; any county or city that is embraced by the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority but that is not a member of the Northern Virginia Commission at the rate of 0.615 percent &hellip; a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-taxes-prove-va-dems-actually-hate-affordability-2\/\" title=\"New ...es Prove VA Dems Actually Hate &#039;...&#039;\">retail delivery fee<\/a> in the amount of 20 cents upon each <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/new-taxes-prove-va-dems-actually-hate-affordability\/\" title=\"New ...es Prove VA Dems Actually Hate &#039;...&#039;\">retail delivery &#038;hellip<\/a>; and a regional highway use tax fee on all vehicles in the Commonwealth that are subject to the existing highway use fee.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Spanberger also <a href=\"https:\/\/virginiamercury.com\/2026\/01\/22\/spanberger-democratic-lawmakers-are-pressing-for-virginia-to-rejoin-rggi-heres-how-it-would-work\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">announced<\/a> plans to return Virginia to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative from which Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin withdrew the state during his tenure. The&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/alec.org\/article\/virginia-and-the-regional-greenhouse-gas-initiative\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative<\/a>&nbsp;raises Virginians&rsquo; electricity costs, as&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/vaeec.org\/rggi\/rggi-myths\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">admitted<\/a>&nbsp;by the Virginia Energy Efficiency Council.<\/p>\n<p>All this despite Spanberger <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/live-updates\/2026\/02\/24\/trump-state-of-the-union-address-2026\/spanberger-delivers-democratic-rebuttal-00797309\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">telling<\/a> Americans on Tuesday night that they can &ldquo;demand more&rdquo; and that Democrats are &ldquo;working to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/next-president-will-face-the-challenge-of-rising-healthcare-costs-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Next president will face the challenge of rising healthcare costs - Washington Examiner\">lower costs&#038;rdquo<\/a>; and &ldquo;working for you.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Spanberger&rsquo;s response made clear that Democrats are counting on Americans not noticing that life is getting more affordable under Trump while Democrats like Spanberger continue to support policies that make life more expensive. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">\n<div class=\"article-author-description fst-italic\">      Brianna Lyman is an elections correspondent at The Federalist. Brianna graduated from Fordham University with a degree in International Political Economy. Her work has been featured on Newsmax, Fox News, Fox Business and RealClearPolitics. Follow Brianna on X: @briannalyman2<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-30 bdr-top-bold-black\">\n<div class=\"row g-0 align-items-center\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6\">\n<div class=\"article-author-profile d-flex align-items-center justify-content-center justify-content-md-start\">\n<div class=\"article-author-details\">\n<div class=\"label-md\">Brianna Lyman<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-author-twitter label-sm d-flex align-items-center mt-10\">             <i class=\"mdi mdi-twitter me-5\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>             <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Visit on Twitter<\/span>            <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/briannalyman2\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"text-decoration-none\">@briannalyman2<\/a>           <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-md-6 d-flex justify-content-center justify-content-md-end mt-15 mt-md-0\">        <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/author\/briannalyman\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">More Articles<\/a>     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"article-tags bdr-top-black mt-30 mt-sm-60 pt-15 pt-md-45\">\n<ul class=\"list-unstyled d-flex flex-wrap align-items-center mb-0 mx-n10 p-0\">\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/2026-midterm-elections\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">2026 midterm elections<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/abigail-spanberger\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Abigail Spanberger<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/affordability\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">affordability<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Donald Trump<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/state-of-the-union\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">State of the Union<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"mt-10 mx-10\"><a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/tag\/virginia\/\" class=\"btn btn-black btn-small\">Virginia<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Spanberger asks if the president makes life affordable?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":74,"featured_media":2573403,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Screenshot-2026-02-25-at-1.22.21-AM-scaled-e1772000635303.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546,33651],"tags":[18297,4326,5894,4752,32249],"class_list":["post-2573402","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist","category-the-western-journal","tag-affordability","tag-policy","tag-politics","tag-record","tag-spanberger"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Screenshot-2026-02-25-at-1.22.21-AM-scaled-e1772000635303.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2573402","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/74"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2573402"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2573402\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2573406,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2573402\/revisions\/2573406"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2573403"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2573402"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2573402"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2573402"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}