It’s October of an election year, so Republicans and Democrats alike are campaigning hard on affordability – lower utility costs, better living conditions, and cheaper groceries. But do Democrats really care about lower prices? The results speak for themselves.

Just a year ago in Virginia, Democrats appealed to voters’ understandable economic anxieties and won. As candidate for governor, Abigail Spanberger unveiled her Affordable Virginia plan, promising to "lower costs, save Virginians money, and make it easier for people who work hard to get ahead." In delivering the Democratic response to President Trump’s State of the Union address, she doubled down on that pledge, declaring her party to be “laser-focused” on affordability across the nation.

But now, with 2026 coming to a close, the results of that agenda in Virginia are clear – and damning. More than 100 days after the Virginia General Assembly adjourned, Democrat lawmakers passed a heavily rewritten budget resolution allocating over $200 million. Teachers were offered a modest three percent raise while Democrat lawmakers quietly approved a staggering 178 percent pay increase for themselves, a retail weed marketplace, $1.7 million to remove historic statues in Richmond, and $1 million to research Atlantic fish.

With priorities like these, it’s no surprise that Spanberger’s voter approval ratings are underwater. In fact, the Virginia Democrat Party’s agenda is a far cry from what voters want. A VCU poll this........

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