Abigail Spanberger will deliver Democrats' State of the Union rebuttal.

Abigail Spanberger, Virginia's newly elected governor and a former congresswoman and CIA officer, will deliver the Democrats' response to President Trump's State of the Union address.

Abigail Spanberger will deliver the Democrats' response to President Donald Trump's State of the Union address. The rebuttal traditionally follows the president's remarks and was first given in 1966. Spanberger is 46 and was elected Virginia's governor in November, becoming the state's first female governor. She previously served in the US Congress and worked as a CIA officer. Key details: - Spanberger will speak after Trump's address on Tuesday night. - She was elected governor in November and is subject to Virginia's one-term limit, so she cannot run for immediate re-election. - Democratic leaders highlighted her record in Congress and her recent statewide win; House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries praised her focus on lowering living costs, defending healthcare and protecting the federal workforce. - Spanberger previously defeated a Republican incumbent in 2018 and helped Democrats win a House majority at that time. - Senator Alex Padilla of California will deliver the Spanish-language Democratic response. Summary: Spanberger's selection has been presented by party leaders as a low political risk because she was recently elected and cannot seek immediate re-election. Her role brings a recent statewide winner and former federal official into a national spotlight during the president's address. The immediate next step is President Trump's State of the Union speech, followed by the English-language response by Spanberger and a Spanish-language response by Senator Padilla.