Democratic leaders announced on Thursday that Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger will deliver the party’s response to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address next week.
“She stands in stark contrast to Donald Trump, who will lie, deflect and blame everyone but himself for his failed presidency on Tuesday evening,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement.
Spanberger was elected governor of Virginia in November, defeating Republican candidate and former Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears. Spanberger is the first woman governor in the state.
California Sen. Alex Padilla will deliver a second Democratic response in Spanish, the Democratic leaders said.
“As the son of immigrants, Senator Padilla knows firsthand what opportunity in America can mean — and he’s spent his career fighting to keep that promise alive,” Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer said in the release. “From lowering costs to defending our democracy, he’s delivered for working families. His message will stand in sharp contrast to President Trump’s chaos and self-dealing.”
A handful of Democrats across the party announced plans to skip Trump’s formal address on Tuesday, instead hosting a counterprogramming address on the National Mall. Several of the featured Democrats walked out of Trump’s address last year in protest of his policy plans.
“Americans deserve an honest account of the state of our union,” said Rep. Yassamin Ansari, who plans to attend the event on the National Mall.
Don’t miss the stories shaping Washington.
Sign in
Log into your free account with your email. Don’t have one?
Check your email for a one-time code.
We sent a 4-digit code to . Enter the pin to confirm your account.
New code will be available in 1:00
Let’s try this again.
We encountered an error with the passcode sent to . Please reenter your email.