Why Virginia Democrats Back Abigail Spanberger

TL;DR

Don Scott supports Abigail Spanberger because she emphasizes affordability, education, health care, transportation, public safety, and the effects of the government shutdown. He condemns Jay Jones’s violent texts but argues that Jones apologized, the targeted former speaker forgave him, and demands that Jones withdraw reflect a broader double standard in responses to inflammatory political rhetoric.

Transcript

Virginia is a a news of the day hot spot um because there's a big governor's race coming up um in a little bit less than a month. Uh you are supporting Democrat Abigail Spanberger in the race against the current lieutenant governor win some Earl Sears. Um Abigail has a pretty hefty lead at this point. The average is about six points, but some polls... Read More

Key Insights

• Abigail Spanberger’s campaign is focused on affordability, housing, energy, groceries, education, health care, transportation, and public safety, according to Don Scott. He argues that these practical concerns align more closely with the everyday priorities of Virginia voters than cultural disputes about bathrooms.
• The Virginia government shutdown is harming more than government employees, according to Scott. He says its effects reach restaurants, daycare centers, transportation services, tourism, and other businesses that depend directly or indirectly on the government workforce operating normally.
• Spanberger’s public safety record includes opposition to rhetoric about defunding the police after George Floyd was murdered. The discussion connects that position to her endorsement by Virginia’s Police Benevolent Association, which Scott says had not endorsed a Democrat in roughly the previous four elections.
• Jay Jones’s old text messages contained violent language about former Republican speaker Todd Gilbert and Gilbert’s children. Scott calls the messages deplorable and reprehensible, while emphasizing that Jones apologized profusely and said rereading the comments made him sick to his stomach.
• Todd Gilbert forgave Jay Jones for the violent comments, according to Scott, who says he spoke with Gilbert directly. Scott presents that forgiveness, along with Jones’s apology, as a reason to let Jones continue campaigning and allow voters to judge the attorney general’s race.
• The timing of the text disclosure was politically cynical, according to Scott. He argues that waiting three years and releasing the messages shortly before the election suggests an effort to damage Jones politically rather than an immediate response to a perceived public danger.
• A double standard exists when candidates are held responsible for their running mates only when politically convenient, Scott argues. He contrasts demands that Spanberger answer for Jones with Earle-Sears’s earlier position that Republican lieutenant governor candidate John Reid should run his own race.
• Political violence should be condemned consistently by leaders from both parties, Scott argues. He cites a joint statement he issued with Todd Gilbert after an assassination attempt on Donald Trump and calls for the same standard when politicians or partisan groups use violent, racist, or hateful rhetoric.

Questions & Answers

Q: Why does Don Scott support Abigail Spanberger for Virginia governor?

Don Scott supports Abigail Spanberger because he believes she focuses on the issues Virginia voters face in daily life. He identifies affordability, housing, energy, groceries, teacher pay, public education, health care, transportation, and public safety as her priorities. He also portrays her as a responsible candidate who is concentrating on what parents and other voters care about rather than disputes over bathroom access.

Q: What issues does Abigail Spanberger emphasize in the governor’s race?

Abigail Spanberger emphasizes what Scott calls kitchen-table concerns, including the costs of housing, energy, food, and groceries. He also says she wants to improve teacher pay and Virginia’s public education system. Her broader agenda, as described in the discussion, covers health care, transportation, public safety, and the economic consequences of the government shutdown for workers and supporting businesses.

Q: How is the government shutdown affecting Virginia?

The government shutdown is having a devastating effect on Virginia’s workforce, according to Scott. He says government employees are not the only people affected because many other workers and businesses depend on them. Restaurants, daycare centers, transportation services, tourism operators, and numerous related industries experience economic harm when government workers and government activity are disrupted.

Q: Why did Virginia’s Police Benevolent Association endorse Abigail Spanberger?

Scott says Virginia’s Police Benevolent Association endorsed Abigail Spanberger because its members trust her to protect public safety. The discussion also recalls that Spanberger was a prominent Democratic voice against talking about defunding the police after George Floyd was murdered. Scott says the association had not endorsed a Democrat in roughly the previous four elections, making its support notable in this race.

Q: What did Jay Jones say in the text messages?

Jay Jones’s messages used violent language about former Republican speaker Todd Gilbert, including a reference to putting two bullets in his head, and also discussed violence involving Gilbert’s children. Scott unequivocally describes the comments as deplorable and reprehensible. He says Jones later apologized profusely and stated that rereading what he had written made him feel sick to his stomach.

Q: Why does Don Scott say the response to Jay Jones reflects a double standard?

Scott argues that Jones’s messages were held for three years and released shortly before the election, which he views as cynical political timing. He also says Jones apologized and that Todd Gilbert forgave him. Scott contrasts demands for Jones to withdraw with cases in which Republicans did not demand equivalent accountability for violent, racist, or hateful rhetoric from figures on their own side.

Q: Should Abigail Spanberger be held responsible for Jay Jones’s conduct?

Scott does not believe Abigail Spanberger should take ownership of Jay Jones’s conduct. He points to Earle-Sears’s earlier response when Governor Glenn Youngkin asked Republican lieutenant governor candidate John Reid to withdraw over allegedly compromising material. Earle-Sears reportedly said Reid had to run his own race. Scott argues that Spanberger and Jones should likewise be judged as separate candidates running their own campaigns.

Q: How does Don Scott believe political leaders should address violent rhetoric?

Scott believes leaders should condemn political violence and hateful rhetoric consistently, regardless of party. He recalls issuing a joint statement with Todd Gilbert immediately after an assassination attempt on Donald Trump. He says unacceptable language should not be excused when it comes from political allies, and he calls on everyone to lower the temperature and demonstrate the type of leadership voters want.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Don Scott presents Virginia’s governor’s race as a choice between Abigail Spanberger and Winsome Earle-Sears. He argues that Spanberger concentrates on everyday concerns such as housing, energy, groceries, education, health care, transportation, and public safety, while Earle-Sears and other Republicans devote too much attention to disputes about bathrooms and social issues.

• Scott says Virginia’s government workers and the businesses supporting them are being harmed by the government shutdown. He also highlights Spanberger’s opposition to removing people from health care and Medicaid, her record of rejecting calls to defund the police, and her endorsement from Virginia’s Police Benevolent Association as reasons for supporting her.

• Scott condemns Jay Jones’s violent messages about former Republican speaker Todd Gilbert and his family as reprehensible. However, he says Jones apologized, Gilbert forgave him, and the messages were released strategically before the election. Scott argues that political violence and hateful rhetoric require consistent condemnation regardless of party affiliation.