CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) Democratic nominee Abigail Spanberger is traveling across Virginia as part of a campaign bus tour aimed at connecting directly with voters following the primary election. The tour began in Richmond and has included stops in Southside, Southwest Virginia, and Charlottesville, with plans to continue through Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads. “The idea behind it is that we were going to have the primary on Tuesday. We would know the democratic ticket and wanted to set out across Virginia,” Spanberger said. 

As she visits communities across the state, Spanberger says she’s hearing recurring concerns about the rising costs of housing, healthcare, and energy. “There’s no other choice but to pay $1,200 for the apartment that you were just a year earlier paying $700 a month for,” she said, citing housing affordability as a top issue in many regions. She also noted concerns about potential cuts to Medicaid and the impact such cuts could have on both residents and rural hospitals. 

Spanberger emphasized the importance of a unified ticket and applauded her running mates Jay Jones and Ghazala Hashmi, highlighting their legal and education experience, respectively. “We share the same priorities as it relates to addressing issues of affordability and housing, healthcare, energy, and strengthening our public schools,” she said. Spanberger said she’s looking forward to continuing the tour and engaging with voters throughout the state ahead of the November election. 

Listen to the full conversation here: