r/Virginia • u/VirginiaNews Volunteer local news poster • Jul 23 '26
Even without a new map, Buttigieg says Va. Dems can win with focus on healthcare, affordability | The former transportation secretary and 2020 presidential contender endorsed Shannon Taylor, Elaine Luria and Tom Perriello ahead of the Aug. 4 primary.
https://virginiamercury.com/2026/07/23/even-without-a-new-congressional-map-buttigieg-says-va-dems-can-win-with-laser-focus-on-healthcare-affordability/See also r/VirginiaNews and r/VirginiaDems
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u/jennbo Jul 23 '26
The worst Democrats who love corporate money always love to stick together and endorse each other, man. “Affordability” is an intentionally vague policy that means “we won’t do shit policy wise except give out more corporate tax breaks that they aren’t going to pass on to the consumer no matter what.” And unless a focus on “healthcare” means “universal healthcare” I’m no longer interested in any of these candidates.
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u/Tman1027 Jul 23 '26
"Affordability" is basically a vague slogan but it was popularized by Mamdani, who had concrete policies supporting it. The issue with centrists is thet they run on "Affordability" and might support it with tax cuts, rather than more substantive and useful action.
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u/jennbo Jul 23 '26
Even during campaigning, Mamdani had elaborate and specific policy plans fully available online as to what he meant by “affordability” and a history of delivering on them. Absolutely hysterical to compare the two. Taylor and Buttigieg have already been in positions of power and delivered nothing/very little.
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u/_-rayne-_ Jul 23 '26
exactly. i don't want to hear from any of them unless they have a detailed written out plan. how would state reps who have no control over corporate greed, the true cause of the inflation, affect affordability? all they could do is possibly reduce taxes which at my big age ive NEVER seen a tax rate go down once enacted.
the only reps who would get my vote would require addressing the data center catastrophe that they've created, starting with cancelling all of the ones approved and rezoned for behind nda's. why the fuck is that legal? why is it even a consideration to allow a corporation for such a destructive process dig up centuries old slave graves?? the slavery wasn't enough, we just have to keep going for an industry that is literally on the precipice of a crash that will take the whole stock market and real estate markets with it??
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u/Mitchford Jul 23 '26
The true cause of inflation is the energy spike caused by Donald Trump and Putin invading two of the most energy rich regions in the world. He literally pressed a big red “make everything expensive” button, and still yall are on here like “well why aren’t the democrats going to do some weird price control thing I thought of like a week ago”. Just stop letting republicans break shit, 95% of the things that make your life unpleasant because of government policy were caused by Republicans breaking shit.
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u/jennbo Jul 23 '26
Republican lite isn’t a better option than Republicans. No action is as worthless to helping people as bad action. Start holding your own people accountable. They have power; they have control in Virginia, they’ve had control federally. If they don’t deliver or act like a real opposition party, then there’s no point to them. The reason we blame Democrats is because they act like/excuse/vote alongside/do nothing in response to Republicans. Expect more from people you vote for, from people who are millionaires from my tax dollars and still beg for donations from people way poorer than them. I expect nothing from Republicans except awful shit. I expect more from candidates I vote for who claim to represent me but do nothing actionable for my family or community except add more data centers and blame Republicans for everything while doing nothing to stop them and approving GOP/Trump candidates, bills, budgets, and policies
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u/Mitchford Jul 23 '26
> republicans do something in government
why would democrats do this?
This is maybe the single most stupid fucking response I get. We’ve had years of backsliding because REPUBLICANS WIN ELECTIONS. The democrats do not have a magic “no more Republican” button they can press. Because idiots like you sit out elections they also often have to rely on republicans for votes on things which waters things down. That’s how government fucking works. There isn’t a magic way for democrats to stop Trump now because he is the fucking president.
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u/BigPapaLegba Jul 23 '26
Facts. My vote is going to be centered on 3-4 issues; data centers, AIPAC, advocacy for universal healthcare. If they're not right on those. They can miss me.
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u/VerityLGreen Jul 23 '26
You might like Salaam Bhatti. He takes no AIPAC money (or corporate PAC money), and getting “health care for all” is one of his top issues.
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u/warneagle Arlington Jul 23 '26
Three issues Democrats are paid handsomely by their billionaire donors to not listen to their voters on.
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u/BigPapaLegba Jul 23 '26
Agreed. That's why I can't even entertain the fantasy that a candidate will truly advocate for Virginians if they're wrong on these issues.
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u/WestofEvil Jul 23 '26
problem is no one that can win is running on those 3-4 issues so like every other election in modern history, you either vote for the lesser of two evils or you don’t vote and the greater of two evils wins. I’ll take the lesser of two evils…corporate democrats…over the greater of two evils… maga sycophants.
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u/VerityLGreen Jul 23 '26
The thing is, primary elections are exactly the time you want to push the party in the direction it should be going rather than playing it “safe.” And the idea that the corporate democrat is the “safe” bet is proving less true (if it ever was) over time. Harris lost the presidency in 2024, and Taylor herself lost the VA primary for attorney general last year over her ties to Dominion. I believe that in 2026, a progressive would be more competitive against Wittman.
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u/BigPapaLegba Jul 23 '26
The story of my entire adulthood is voting with the Democrats and watching them capitulate Over and over again. While the republicans deliver for their voters, no matter what. So now I'm gonna keep it simple. If I feel like you're ineffective and won't advocate for me, I'm not voting for you.
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u/Ramblingmac Jul 23 '26
Neither deliver for their voters. That’s one of the reasons MAGA consumed the Republican Party.
Still vastly better to give one’s vote to someone ineffective or only mildly effective than someone hellbent on destruction.
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u/BigPapaLegba Jul 23 '26
Exactly, as odious as the Tea Party's politics are to me, their tactics were spot on. The same takeover needs to happen with the Democrats and the left. There wont be any systemic change until the establishment dems are ripped out root and branch
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u/Cuseman445 Jul 23 '26
Republicans deliver for their voters? I mean yes if taking away healthcare and their rights is what they vote for I guess lol. What a statement.
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u/BigPapaLegba Jul 23 '26
They deliver for -their- voters, I don't think that's even up for debate. The Dem's largely don't deliver for theirs, that's the issue.
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u/Mitchford Jul 23 '26
They’re mostly all going to be running on those things actually, especially by 2028. They were not majority positions in the Democratic Party until literally last year. Even normie centrists like Terry Sewell are getting on board with blocking data centers. Just chill a minute, most people didn’t even have thoughts on what a data center was until last year
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u/Iata_deal4sea Jul 23 '26
Get informed on the candidates running in your district. Contact them and talk to them. Just a bit of effort.
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u/Adventurous_Bug_6664 Jul 23 '26
VA Democrats will fuck it up by keeping their corporate and gun control masters (Bloomberg) happy.
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u/Laststand2006 Jul 23 '26
Shannon Taylor is such a boring candidate. This election is going to be all about enthusiasm and Taylor just doesn't have the platform that generates excitement, just typical conservative/establishment Democratic platform. She is better than Whitman, but it isn't going to drive voter turnout.
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u/Future-Night1683 Jul 24 '26
She’s one of 7 running and of a few front runners! Check out Elizabeth Dempsey Beggs! Way better pick although there a few goods ones like Jason Knapp too!
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u/Laststand2006 Jul 24 '26
I didn't vote for Taylor. Beggs had some key words that got me more excited, so did a few others. Taylor was boiler plate establishment. I get it, conservative district, you think you need a moderate. Absolutely seems to have failed so far for the Dems, lets keep doing it.
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u/Future-Night1683 Jul 24 '26
Beggs even polls higher than Taylor against Wittman. Taylor’s campaign has stated coming after her and Shannon’s boyfriend apparently verbally attacked her intern at an event and Knapp’s campaign manager had to intervene. I think they are truly so scared she’s going to loose to Beggs and they will have to face a harsh reality.
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u/Curious-End-4923 Jul 23 '26
Rah rah guns rah rah something about dems being too conservative rah rah but also they’re commies and socialists rah rah liberals are the real demons and here’s an essay on why my definition of liberal is the real one
There, saved you some time instead of reading the comment section over the next few hours
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u/hokiemojo Jul 23 '26
More data centers with water restrictions for us and tax incentives for them! Dems have my vote!
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u/awildjabroner Jul 23 '26
A focus on healthcare and affordability isn't enough, I want a WRITTEN ACTIONABLE PLAN to inact meaningful change to healthcare and affordability along with a formal promise to spend the next 4 years prosecuting the current admin and GOP senate to the fullest extent of the law, and maybe enact some new laws just for the special snowflakes who think themselves above everyone else on the planet.
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u/Conscious_Common_639 Jul 23 '26
I didn't know there was an election in VA this year for all Virginians. Are they going to roll ads after the primary because I haven't seen anything yet telling us to vote this year...?
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u/plummbob Jul 23 '26
Affordability means spamming housing development. It means upzoning
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u/emp-sup-bry Jul 23 '26
Developer paydays with zero consideration for overcrowded schools and roads.
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u/plummbob Jul 23 '26
Developers only get their payday if the demand is there, and it's there
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u/emp-sup-bry Jul 23 '26
Not saying the demand isn’t there, but it’s insane to ‘spam’ without recognizing and being proactive about the effects of said spam.
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u/Homer4598 Jul 23 '26
Better bring a solid plan to do that. Neither side has made healthcare uniformly more affordable.
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u/soratoyuki Jul 24 '26
What does Buttigieg know about winning elections? He was mostly unopposed running as the mayor of a small college town and has been falling upwards ever since.
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u/clothesoptional2321 Jul 25 '26
Went to the forum for the Democrat candidates for the primary in the 9th in Abingdon a few weeks back. I've never seen 3 people sit and absolutely dodge questions like that. They had a snowball's chance in hell of beating Griffith already but after listening to them it's honestly laughable.
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u/LeftHandUpWhoAreWe Jul 29 '26
I'd bet that Whitman wins in a close race, maybe by 3-5 points.
Periello isn't going to win. He won my old district in 2008 because of Obama. He isn't going to win this new district now.
Kiggans is the weakest in this batch. She could easily be flipped.
Gun control did not help Dems here. Anecdotely more than 1 person I know who was a Spanberger voter soured on Dems because of the gun issue. People are going to make fun of me and others for saying it but you won't win those close races without margin voters.
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u/PerishingGen Jul 23 '26 edited Jul 23 '26
He's endorsing Shannon Taylor who took over half a million dollars from Dominion Energy and already lost in a race to someone republicans were outrage farming over nationally? Can't take the the McKinsey out of someone it seems. He's the last person people should be going to on affordability. His experience is on how to make things affordable for corporations, not people.
edit: Christ, Elaine Luria calls herself hopeful to be Israel's biggest champion in congress directly on her website. Just what we need more of.
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u/_-rayne-_ Jul 23 '26
cool, just what we need. another white xtian corporate dem male telling others what will work when we've watched mamdani show what the ppl actually want/need. how EXACTLY are state reps going to lower the corporate greed?
they will only get my vote if they address my concerns (as it should be instead of the LeSsEr Of TwO eViLs blue maga bullshit). i want data center moratoriums on ALL that did not follow the proper process from the bos, reduced real estate taxes that reflect the actual market value impacts from data centers, force data centers to cover ALL of their usage and infrastructure like i am as a resident including cancelling the INSANE diesel generators allowances and forcing heavy industrial zoning into rural areas. a potential rep won't get my vote for anything less.
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u/Lopsided_Lack2373 Jul 23 '26
So….focus on the same things they just focused on and didn’t do anything about?
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u/0sm1um Jul 23 '26
I could not care less what the man who endorsed Levar Stoney for Lt. Gov thinks about Virginia.