NORFOLK, Va. — President Barack Obama and Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger this afternoon rallied with thousands of supporters at Chartway Arena in Norfolk — making clear the stakes of this November’s elections and encouraging voters to cast their ballots.
In front of a crowd of more than 7,000 Virginians, President Obama drove home the opportunity Virginians have this year — the opportunity to respond to the chaos coming out of Washington by electing Abigail Spanberger to serve them as Virginia’s next Governor.
Read an excerpt from President Obama’s remarks below.
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The good news is, there is something you can do about it, Virginia. Right here. Right now. Because you’ve got a candidate for Governor who’s got a track record of getting stuff done. Somebody who sees you, and knows your struggles, and will fight for you every single day.
Virginia, it’s time to point America in a better direction by electing Abigail Spanberger as your next Governor!
Abigail doesn’t go around bragging about herself all the time, but she’s great. As a former federal law enforcement officer and CIA case officer working on counterterrorism, she knows what it takes to keep communities safe. As the mom of three kids in Virginia public schools, you know she cares about helping every child and helping every teacher succeed. As a Member of Congress, she was a workhorse, not a show horse — fighting to lower prescription drug costs and giving Veterans the support they deserve.
Abigail doesn’t just say the right thing — as your Governor, she will do the right thing.
She understands that government can make a difference in people’s lives by educating our kids for the jobs of the future, keeping our air and water clean, protecting consumers from fraud and dangerous products, providing a safety net for seniors and folks with disabilities, and investing in the infrastructure and scientific research that drives economic growth.
But Abby also knows that good intentions aren’t enough. She understands that we can’t afford to waste taxpayer dollars on programs that don’t work. And she understands that instead of simply tearing government down, it’s her job to make it work better.
Abigail has real, practical plans to grow the economy, strengthen Virginia’s schools, and lower the cost of everything from housing to healthcare to energy — and she’s willing to reach across the aisle to make it happen. Abigail was ranked as the most bipartisan Member of Congress from the Commonwealth. She’s had bills signed into law by both President Trump and President Biden. That is not easy to do.
And Abigail doesn’t just believe in working with everybody. She also believes in listening to everybody — whether they voted for her or not. Because she knows that if we want to make progress on the things that we care about, we have to be able to disagree without calling each other nasty names or demonizing each other.
At a time when our politics feels broken, we need, desperately, leaders like Abigail — public servants who are in it for the right reasons, are focused on the future, and who will always stay connected to the people they were elected to serve.
Her opponent? Not so much.
When someone asked her about all the federal workers fired by this administration — given how important that is to Virginia, Abigail’s opponent said she wanted to talk about “real issues” and didn’t understand why those job cuts are a “huge thing.” I don’t know about you, but seeing your neighbors, your friends, your customers, maybe some of your family members suddenly out of work and not being able to make their mortgage — that seems like a pretty big thing to me. And I’d want a Governor to be paying attention to it.
Abigail’s opponent does seem to care about what Trump and his cronies are doing. She praised the Republican tax law that would raise the cost of healthcare, housing, and energy here in Virginia. She supported bills that would strip funding from Virginia public schools. And she said she’s “morally opposed” to protecting reproductive rights, saying she will “do everything in [her] power” to cut off access to abortion.
Virginia, you don’t need a Governor who puts party and ideology ahead of the people she was elected to serve. You deserve a Governor who will think for herself and work for you — a Governor who will create jobs and not cut them; and who will lower costs, not raise them; and who will bring people together instead of dividing them; and who will do what’s right for the people of Virginia, no matter what anybody in Washington thinks. You deserve a Governor like Abigail Spanberger.
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Before introducing the former president, Spanberger made clear that she will be a Governor who will always put the Commonwealth first — a Governor focused on lowering costs for Virginia families, growing Virginia’s economy, protecting Virginians’ fundamental rights, strengthening Virginia’s schools, and delivering for all Virginia families.
Read excerpts from Congresswoman Spanberger’s remarks below.
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Now in Virginia, we need a Governor who will recognize that Virginians are struggling to afford the rising costs in healthcare, housing, and energy. We do not need someone who will support a terrible law that will raise costs on housing and energy while giving tax breaks to billionaires and corporations, all the while decimating Virginia’s healthcare.
We need a Governor who will support the thousands upon thousands of Virginia families whose livelihoods have been disrupted or destroyed because of DOGE and now this government shutdown. We do not need someone who has said that losing a job isn’t a “real issue” when we have Virginians who have dedicated themselves to service to our country who have lost their jobs because of bad policies and a reckless administration.
We need a Governor who will speak up when careless, chaotic, reckless economic policies out of Washington hurt our economy — raising costs for families, making it harder for small business owners to survive, and crushing Virginia’s farmers. We do not need someone who has been in lockstep with this administration every step of the way.
Now make no mistake about it — these attacks on Virginia’s economy are creating challenges, and we need a Governor who will stand up against them and also plan for a brighter, better future.
Norfolk, let me be as clear as I possibly can be: I will always stand up for Virginia families. I will always work to grow our economy. And I will always put Virginia — not a President, not a party — first.
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So let me tell you what the next three days are really about: they’re about you and all of us deciding what kind of Virginia we want to wake up to on Wednesday morning.
It’s about you and all of us deciding whether we want to live in a Virginia that fights for working families, or one that doesn’t. It’s about you and all of us deciding whether we want to live in a Virginia that protects our freedoms, or one that doesn’t. And all of us are the ones who will make that choice. All of us — we have that power.
But the results on Tuesday won’t just reflect what we are against, it will also be a reflection of what it is that we are for.
Throughout this campaign, I’ve released detailed blueprints for Virginia’s future — because you deserve to know what I am for and what I want to do for you when serving you as your Governor.
Virginians deserve a Governor with a plan to work every day to lower costs for Virginia families. And I have my Affordable Virginia Plan to lower healthcare costs, to lower energy costs, and to make it more affordable for Virginians to buy a home, rent a home, or stay in their home.
You deserve a Governor who will make sure our public schools are the very best in the nation. I have three daughters in Virginia public schools. This is personal to me, and it is personal to so many of us. That’s why my Strengthening Virginia Schools Plan will make sure every parent, grandparent, or somebody who knows and loves a child will know that we are setting our kids up for success.
You also deserve a Governor who will work with Democrats and Republicans to grow our economy, not stand by while Virginia’s workforce is under attack. You deserve a Governor who will work to bring good-paying jobs to every corner of our Commonwealth. That’s my Growing Virginia Plan.
They aren’t just talking points. They are actionable policies I’m ready to implement on day one. And I know how to get it done — by bringing people together, by leaving the rhetoric at home, and by never forgetting our mission is to serve Virginia. That’s what is at stake on Tuesday.
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The contrast in this campaign is not just about policy — it’s also about approach.
In Congress, I worked with Democrats and Republicans to get results for Virginia families. I had bills signed into law by a Republican president and a Democratic president. Year after year, I was ranked as the most bipartisan Member of Congress from Virginia. And I was ranked as the most effective legislator in the House and the Senate on agriculture issues — and my friends, I grew up in the suburbs and cannot even keep a basil plant alive.
But my approach is to work with people. My approach is to endeavor to understand what is working and make it better; and what is broken and try to fix it. And as Governor, I will work with anyone and everyone to get the job done for Virginians. That is what I have done my entire career, and that is the commitment to service and to mission that I believe all Virginians deserve.
Because the next time a little girl tells her family that she wants to move home to Virginia, I want that little girl’s parents to be able to afford a house in the community that they want to live in. I want her parents to have jobs that will allow them to provide for their family. I want that little girl to go to a school where she is safe within its walls, and where her teachers are well paid and well respected. I want that little girl to grow up in a community where the air is safe to breathe and the water is clean to drink. And I want that little girl to grow up in a Commonwealth where her rights will be respected as she grows up. And I want that little girl — and every child across Virginia — to know that any dream they may have is theirs for the making.
Because we — all of us, we did the work to make it so. And that is the Virginia that we are going to build together.
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Saturday’s rally was the first campaign visit to Hampton Roads of any Democratic President in over a decade. President Obama last campaigned in Hampton Roads in 2012.
Last month, President Obama endorsed Spanberger in her campaign to serve as the next Governor of Virginia. President Obama highlighted Spanberger’s commitment to lowering costs and always putting the people of Virginia first. He also highlighted Spanberger’s record of protecting Virginians’ fundamental rights — including their voting rights and the right of women to make their own healthcare decisions.
BACKGROUND
Spanberger remains focused on putting Virginians first as their next Governor — by lowering costs for Virginia families, growing Virginia’s economy, and making sure Virginia’s schools are the best in the nation.
Earlier this year, Spanberger rolled out her Affordable Virginia Plan to lower Virginians’ healthcare, housing, and energy costs. The cost of living remains the top issue for Virginia voters.
In July, Spanberger rolled out her Growing Virginia Plan to grow workforce training opportunities for Virginians, bring more business investment to Virginia, and expand trade opportunities for Virginia businesses. In the face of the Trump Administration’s attacks on Virginia’s economy and workforce — attacks that led the University of Virginia to forecast that the Commonwealth will have virtually no job growth in 2026, Spanberger will stand up for Virginia jobs.
In August, Spanberger announced her Strengthening Virginia Schools Plan to strengthen Virginia’s child care and early childhood education programs, K-12 schools, and institutions of higher education. As a mom of three kids in Virginia public schools, Spanberger has a plan to make sure Virginia’s schools are the best in America.
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