Spanberger Stan

Yeah there's a vocal minority. I've had those fights myself.

But even on a platform where the median user is well to her left, everyone realizes that she's preferable to a true MAGA die hard like Winsome.

This was the defining clip from the debate.

It got 22,000 likes when Abigail posted it on Instagram. That's almost 3 times more likes than anything else Abigail has posted, in the 7 years she's been on there.

Twitter and BlueSky aren't real life, but you add Insta, TikTok, and Reddit, it adds up.

Fortunately I think that's a vanishingly rare sentiment even on Blue Sky.

I either glossed over this part or it happened during a YouTube ad break.

This is the kind of interruption Winsome was doing all night.

Wild that the worst sound bite against her happened when she didn't even have to speak.

And we're done. To people who didn't see the debate., I cannot over-emphasize enough that it was a complete shitshow. The sole reason for this was that Winsome constantly tried to talk over Abigail, making it almost unwatchable.

Honestly she came off badly, like a deranged bully.

"Here's a fun question, what Virginia president do you like best?"

Abigail: Thomas Jefferson, he founded the great University of Virginia

Winsome: George Washington, he founded the republic and he's why we don't have kings.

Both good answers.

"Abigail, Youngkin is popular, what policies of his do you like?"

And she nails it with the Nuclear policy answer.

Sears: Medical marijuana is okay but we can't have dirty dope fiends working my blue collar jobs, they'll blow up the gas pumps.

1990s Hank Hill ass answer

Moderator: "Would you ever want to have state law enforcement work with ICE?"

Spanberger: "Absolutely -- if they have a warrant for a crime."

Before anyone gets mad, that scenario effectively excludes all of the immigration enforcement they're doing. Those sweeps don't use warrants.

We got thru the trans and abortion issues without anything of note IMHO. Just a lot of noise, with Winsome constantly interrupting.

Thinking about the Jones question, the non-answer was the way forward. You say "yes I'm still endorsing him," it drags you down, perhaps badly.

You say "no I'm not endorsing him," and Republicans say "they're cutting him loose." That sends signals to voters, and causes problems within the party.

"Solar doesn't work, what happens when the sun goes down."

Well Winsome, you get batteries.

Yeah I sealed the envelope like a few hours before the scandal broke.

So it goes.

Spanberger saying everyone makes their own decision re: Jones, not saying he needs to leave the race.

Real narrow course to chart, but got thru it well enough.

Would be more satisfying to say "the ballots have been printed, he can't drop out you idiot" but better to play it cool.

Winsome basically trips over the starting line by not answering the first question about the car tax and launching a feeble "what about Jay Jones" attack.

Like you gotta segue into that.

YouTube video by WFXR NEWS Virginia Gubernatorial Debate

I've been awake for like 20 hours. Watching on the WFXR Stream out of Roanoke.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=lu8J...

I'm gonna watch this and post about it, even though it'll be the middle of the night where I am. And I've been sleep deprived all week.

If the thread devolves into incoherence, that's the reason.

I'd go to Ashburn to see Governor Beshear, if I wasn't out of the country for work that week.

What level of political nerd does that make me? I don't know, but I love these odd year elections.

Something Virginia and Kentucky have in common, with KY being the hottest race in 2027.

Bob McDonnell would always say "from Leesburg to Lee County."

It's fitting really. Abigail's campaign is a slightly more urban version of the McDonnell campaign of 2009.

"Why is everyone trying to talk about horrible statements from the past? I just want to talk about Creating Good Jobs."

Maybe. But her relentlessly old school campaign is working well. It's appealing to voters (or at least poll respondents), even if BlueSky posters complain.

Joe Biden won Virginia easily.

Spanberger is also trying to win an election by a big a margin as possible.

She isn't trying to govern. That comes next year.

I'm a centrist too! That's part of why I've always loved Abigail. I was a fan long before she left the Blue Dogs.

I said "some centrist Dems" because I've seen takes by various big name pundits. But I think most centrist Dems are right there with you and me, reluctant to surrender to bigotry.

Some centrist Dems: "We can't be on the wrong side of a 70-30 issue."

Many Republicans including Winsome: "This is one of the few issues where our numbers aren't in the toilet, we gotta hit it hard."

Both of them should've considered the *salience* of the issue to the average voter.

Couldn't have said it better myself. Spanberger isn't running nationally, she's running as a proud Virginian, looking out for all of us.

She's at the parades, the football games, the diners and fairs, because that works.

People want leaders who are happy to be here and proud of the community.

Now you could say "this Robinson guy sucks, a moral person would care more about democracy and human rights than a stupid turkey frier." And maybe you'd be right.

But guys like him are gonna help Spanberger win big, and they're the people Dems need to retire Jen Kiggans in 2026.

Screenshot from WaPo article

Screenshot from WaPo article

The article that goes with that WaPo/Shar poll is just a glowing endorsement of Abigail's entire political strategy. Independents respect public service and are very concerned about the economy and costs. Abigail is right to dial in on that.

Holy shit. This is amazing.

Spanberger was already ahead in the summer, but that was before she unleashed her ground game and ad game.

1 more month to finish strong and win a historic victory.

Absentee ballot marked for Abigail Spanberger, Ghazala Hashmi and Jay Jones for the 2025 election. House of Delegates portion is covered by a postcard to avoid revealing specific location.

Finally got my absentee ballot!

Despite being a Spanberger fan for many years, campaigning for her, and seeing her at events, I never got to vote for her until today.

Glad to see further confirmation of my long held assessment. I think it'll be a high single digit win for Spanberger.

Maybe she does better, but it's hard to break through modern day partisanship.

As someone who's overseas for work, I actually miss the TV ads. And the YouTube ads. And the bumper stickers and yard signs.

For a politics fan it's like football coming back or the leaves changing.