Affordability or Gerrymandering?
Governor Spanberger campaigned on affordability. Her party is delivering gerrymandering.
by Chris Saxman
Gerrymander monster. Image credit: Chat GPT
Virginia Democrats ran up huge numbers led by now Governor Abigail Spanberger who defeated former Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears by an astonishing 15+ points.
The House Democrats gained 13 seats and now will have a 64-36 majority – a dramatic switch from the House Republican majority of 66 seats just 8 years ago.
Momentum can change so quickly.
The central theme of Spanberger’s campaign was affordability. That was also the running theme of every Democratic campaign last year. From Zohran Mamdani’s stunning mayoral victory in New York City to Mikie Sherrill’s campaign for governor of New Jersey – it was ALL about affordability.
Pocket book issues. The Democrats won everything last year.
The year before?
The 2024 presidential election came down to Immigration and Inflation.
Trump closed the Border, but now his lead on immigration has turned negative due to that all-too-common trait of political winners – Over Reach.
They went too far, too fast. Off narrative. No one likes a bully or being bullied.
You’ve seen the headlines, videos ad nauseam, (LORD help us) the cancer that is American Social Media and probably in your own texting groups, right?
It’s everywhere all the time.
Momentum lost
Where am I going with all this, you ask?
Well, the Democrats won big here in Virginia on affordability and they have now given the Republicans the chance to help flip the script not just here in the Commonwealth, but also the nation.
Today on 3rd (final) Reading in the Senate is House Bill 1384. (Editor’s note: this column was published yesterday, Jan. 29.)
This bill – which will pass on a party line vote – will fund the upcoming special election probably on April 21st that returns Virginia to gerrymandered congressional districts for the 2026 midterms. Super fun. (Early voting starts in early March BTW)
Okay. So what? We know that’s coming.
Well, in Virginia this is what’s known as a seven day bill.
Governor Spanberger has to act on this bill within seven days.
Okay. So what?
Well, it will be the very first bill that Governor Spanberger will have to act on. It will be NOT be what she ran on but rather what her party is pushing. And pushing hard.
Spanberger hasn’t been all that enthusiastic about the re-gerrymandering push from the jump. Apart from being off narrative – centrist/bipartisan/ pragmatic/restraint – she also just won 8 out of the 11 congressional districts – on AFFORDABILITY.
She completely out performed (work, fund raising, organization) her opponent and now the narrative is about to flip on her less than 90 days from her victory night.
When this narrative cracks, and barring a veto – it will, the GOP will rightly pile on with every other bill that has nothing to do with affordability.
Talk about affordable – the Republican outrage machine will be full of FREE and true examples from tax raises to new entitlements to increasing legislator pay.
Boom. Counter punch.
Voter turnout problem solved.
The two main political parties in the States United are wildly unpopular these days because they share something in common with each other.
Neither party does what they say they were going to do.
THE problem isn’t affordability or immigration or taxes or Greenland or climate change or abortion or guns or even… the national debt. <cue gasp>
Nope.
Dear friends, the issue that threatens us all is trust.
Erosion from within.
They said Affordability and Inflation, NOT Gerrymandering and rounding up innocents.
The first step in rebuilding trust is to trust the collective wisdom of the people. Then trust the process of American government – it’s a good one.
It will come back to you ten fold. Trust me on that.
Chris Saxman is executive director of Virginia FREE. This commentary is excerpted with permission from his Substack account, The Intersection and from Bacon’s Rebellion.
