Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger Labeled “Very, Very Radical” by CPAC Chair for State of the Union Rebuttal

By Sam Barron | Thursday, 19 February 2026 08:00 PM EST

Conservative Political Action Conference Chair Matt Schlapp said on Thursday he believes Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger is the right pick to give the Democrat rebuttal to the State of the Union address next week.

“She represents what the Democratic Party is all about,” Schlapp said on “The Record With Greta Van Susteren.”

“She is very, very radical. She has a terrible vote score with CPAC.”

Schlapp, a Virginia resident, said Spanberger likes to present herself as someone who is moderate, when she’s anything but.

“She’s all for the woke stuff in Virginia,” Schlapp said, noting she’s for raising income taxes and having the state’s tax burden be on par with California.

“No restrictions on abortion, not even parental consent on abortion. It’s pretty radical stuff,” Schlapp added.

“She’s saying you can only have magazine clips of a certain number of bullets,” Schlapp continued.

“She’s talking about confiscating people’s Second Amendment rights.”

The CPAC chair said Virginians have never seen a Democratic Party this radical.

“The Democrats today in Virginia are going to turn it into New York City, and you’re going to see a powder keg in rural America because they’re going to be frustrated by all this,” Schlapp said.

In a statement announcing her selection, Spanberger, Virginia’s first woman governor, said Americans expect and deserve “leaders who are working hard to deliver for them.”

“We are at a defining moment in our nation’s history,” Spanberger said. “Virginians and Americans across the country are contending with rising costs, chaos in their communities, and a real fear of what each day might bring.”

Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., will be delivering the Democrat response in Spanish.