In May, I spent a morning at a family pharmacy in Hanover County — a place that voted for President Donald Trump in 2024 by a margin of more than 25 points.
I was there with local pharmacists and students, a Hanover County mother whose daughter is battling cancer, and a handful of reporters to roll out my plan to lower health care and prescription drug costs in Virginia as their next governor. The event caught the attention of some community members who greeted me with red T-shirts, Make America Great Again hats and Trump campaign buttons.
The group included a local Tea Party member. After joking briefly about our party loyalties, the conversation quickly turned to the issues at hand.
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger addresses a voting rally on the first day of early voting outside the Eastern Government Center on September 19, 2025 in Henrico County, Virginia. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
His daughter, who had been battling cancer, had recently lost her health care benefits. As her pile of medical bills and worries grew, so did his frustration.
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What started with him leaving the house on a rainy Wednesday morning to take me to task turned into a meaningful conversation about one of the challenges I hear about most from families, veterans, seniors and youth across our Commonwealth: the rising cost of medical care.
But it’s not just high healthcare costs that are keeping Virginians awake at night. Everywhere I travel across the Commonwealth – since I first launched my campaign to serve as the next Governor of Virginia, the biggest challenge Virginians share with me is the pressure of high costs. Rising rent and mortgage payments, utility bills and prices at the pharmacy counter are stretching Virginians’ paychecks thin. Virginians who work hard to make ends meet deserve a governor who will do everything he can to provide them with real relief.
Right now, as we race toward Election Day, I’m on my eleven-day statewide bus tour, with more than forty stops. We’re going everywhere from Where Virginia Begins in Lee County to Leesburg, from Norfolk to Nelson County to lay out the stakes in this year’s elections – because Virginians have a chance this year to choose leadership that will actually put our Commonwealth first.
Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger speaks during an Everytown for Gun Safety rally on April 10, 2025 in Alexandria, Virginia. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
Since that rainy morning in May, I have also launched my plans to reduce Virginians’ housing costs and energy bills. I have rolled out my plans to increase training opportunities for my staff, because a four-year degree is not the right path for everyone. And I have implemented my plan to ensure Virginia’s public schools are the best in the country. My opponent – Winsome Earle-Sears, the current lieutenant governor of Virginia – has not shown an ounce of interest in addressing these challenges. She has no real plans to make Virginia more affordable or grow our economy.
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Virginians – including the more than 300,000 federal employees who call our Commonwealth home – are grappling with the fallout from the Trump Administration’s DOGE layoffs, the use of this devastating government shutdown to escalate those layoffs, and unpredictable tariffs. My opponent has dismissed the devastating impact of these cuts on Virginia’s economy and has even mocked Virginians for worrying about losing their jobs. As the next Governor of Virginia, I am clear on the threats to our Commonwealth – and I will always stand up for Virginians’ jobs and Virginia’s economy.
If you are a registered voter in Virginia, my name will be on your ballot this year. You may still be unsure about who you can trust with your vote. You might even be reading this right now and thinking, “I’m a Republican, so why would I vote for a Democrat?”
Democratic Party of Virginia nominee for governor Abigail Spanberger speaks at a campaign event in Richmond on April 8, 2025. (Max Posner/The Washington Post/Getty Images)
I won my first campaign in 2018—in a district that hadn’t elected a Democrat in 50 years—in part because thousands of Virginians asked themselves that question. And ultimately, those voters believed in electing a leader who would put the people of Virginia — not a political party, not a group of donors and not a president — first.
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Since I first entered politics, I have been focused on tackling some of the most pressing issues facing Virginia’s families and businesses – from protecting Virginians’ access to health care to lowering the cost of living to keeping our communities safe. My focus hasn’t changed – and I’m ready to hit the ground running on day one to deliver for Virginians.
And as I always say, I may be a Democrat, but you don’t have to be to vote for me. I would be honored to earn your vote and am grateful to serve as your Governor.
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