Abigail Spanberger, Alex Padilla to give State of the Union rebuttal

Source: USA Today

Feb. 19, 2026, 3:18 p.m. ET


WASHINGTON – Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger will give Democrats' rebuttal to President Donald Trump's Feb. 24 State of the Union address, congressional leaders announced.

The former congresswoman's landslide gubernatorial win in November, which made her the first woman elected to Virginia's highest office, was a rare bright spot for the national Democratic Party in a year otherwise dominated by the GOP. "She knows Americans want lower costs, safer communities, and a stronger democracy – not chaos and corruption," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York, said in a statement.

When Trump delivered the first speech of his second term to a joint session of Congress, Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin offered the Democrats' rejoinder. Both Slotkin and Spanberger are former intelligence officers and politicians from states with deeply red areas.

California Sen. Alex Padilla, who became more well known after he was tackled by Department of Homeland Security agents last year during a press conference for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, will deliver the Spanish-language response to Trump's address.

Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/02/19/abigail-spanberger-alex-padilla-trump-state-of-the-union-rebuttal/88761729007/