Divided reactions to the State of the Union reinforced what a recent poll found about how the parties are split in the state.

Republican strategists are salivating over what they perceive as a misfire by the Democratic Party during President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address.

President Trump defended his first year back in office in his 2026 State of the Union address, touting his record on immigration, the economy, tariffs and more.

The president derided Democrats and said the United States was “winning.” In the Democratic response, Gov. Abigail Spanberger of Virginia accused the president of sowing fear.

Democratic Sen. John Fetterman criticized members of his party who heckled President President Donald Trump during the State of the Union address.

House Democrats hammered home economic concerns ahead of 2026 elections at their annual policy conference, the day after President Trump's State of the Union.

Spanberger portrayed Trump’s tenure as destabilizing at home and abroad, arguing law and order had been replaced by cronyism, megalomania and political retribution. “He’s enriching himself, his family and his friends,” she said. Several times she returned to her own election, predicting that Americans will similarly push back in the 2026 midterms.

It’s not the first time some Democratic women have displayed unity by wearing the same color, but this time it was in part to signal opposition to the SAVE America Act.