In governor's race, Spanberger makes pitch to Virginia's Latino voters in new ad

Democrat Abigail Spanberger is working to make inroads with Latino voters ahead of the 2025 Virginia gubernatorial election, releasing her first Spanish-language radio ad on Thursday.

The former congresswoman addresses rising costs, telling voters in Spanish, "I know what it's like for families today. I got things done to lower costs. That's what I'll do as governor, too."

Democrats across the country are working to regain the Latino support the party lost in the 2024 elections. President Trump made inroads with Latino voters both nationally and in key battleground states in the last election, outpacing Vice President Kamala Harris among Latino men. CBS News exit polling found the economy was the top issue for these voters, and most said they were worse off financially than they were four years earlier.

But polling since Mr. Trump's inauguration suggests that support among Latinos is now slipping. Unidos US polling of Latino voters on the first 100 days of Mr. Trump's second term suggests that only 19% felt the economy is better, compared to 2024. Looking ahead to 2026, 29% of Latino voters believe the economic policies being implemented will make their own personal finances better. The economy ranks as their No. 1 priority. Sixty percent said Mr. Trump and congressional Republicans are not focusing enough on bringing down the cost of everyday goods.

A spokesperson for Spanberger's campaign said she's "meeting Latino Virginians where they are — on the ground and in-language — and will continue connecting with and listening to Virginians in every community to emphasize her focus on lowering costs for families, keeping communities safe, and preparing the next generation of Virginians for success."

Latinos make up almost 11% of Virginia's total population, according to the Census Bureau, and their numbers are expected to continue to rise. Democratic strategist Chuck Rocha thinks Spanberger's focus on Latino voters is strategically smart.

"We saw in the last few cycles the Latino vote nationally has moved 18 points more Republican," Rocha said. "She's starting early to build a narrative about what she's going to do to make people's lives better, and this affordability issue is the best place to be with Latinos right now."

Spanberger has promised to work to lower the costs of health care and prescription drugs, housing and energy, as governor.

Her ad also takes aim at her opponent, GOP Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, for supporting Trump administration policy proposals like shutting down the Department of Education.

"Sears backs Trump's cuts to education and health care, too," the ad says. "We need a governor who fights for Virginia, not Trump."

Earle-Sears is campaigning on her work alongside Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and promising to continue his agenda if she's elected. On Thursday, her campaign announced a six-figure ad buy that highlights her record and labels Spanberger, who represented Virginia in Congress for six years, as a "Washington insider."

She criticizes Spanberger in a TV ad, saying that the former congresswoman "voted with Pelosi and Biden every single time."

"That kind of Beltway nonsense will only take us backwards," Earle-Sears says in the ad. "Governor Youngkin put us on the right path. Now I'm asking for your vote to keep it that way."

Virginia's race for governor is often viewed as a referendum on the administration, since it occurs a year after the presidential election. In an interview with CBS News in June, Spanberger said Virginians like the fact that they're one of two states that will elect a new governor in 2025: "This November, Virginia gets to be the first to the polls, along with our friends up in New Jersey, to be able to make clear what it is that we want in our state leadership."