The False Moderates, Part One: Why Democrats Campaign as Centrists, Then Rule as Radicals
In recent years, Democratic candidates have championed moderate policies to win elections, only to govern as socialists, with the most blatant example being Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger.
Spanberger managed to enact a far-left agenda in a purple state, giving Democrats a playbook for the upcoming midterms. If used correctly, it could help liberals flip control of Congress and seize powerful positions in state governments across the country.
This November, the focus will be on Senate races in Georgia, Iowa, Texas, Maine, Michigan, and North Carolina. There will also be gubernatorial races in places like Ohio, Wisconsin, Georgia, and Pennsylvania, lest we forget the many swing districts that will determine control of the House.
These aren’t exactly liberal strongholds. Candidates can’t push gun control, DEI, open borders, and higher taxes without losing in a landslide. If, however, they mask their true intent while retaining their radical roots, these races remain winnable for the Democrats.
Spanberger’s bait-and-switch tactics are abhorrent. But what’s even more troubling is how effectively other Democratic candidates have adopted her style to fly under the radar. Some are even receiving funding from figures like billionaire George Soros and groups associated with his far-left empire.
Former U.S. Senate nominee Graham Platner of Maine is a perfect example. Things were initially going well for him, as he adopted the Spanberger strategy: Dodge serious questions, keep your platform vague, and hide any affiliation with fringe elements.
But before too long, he was forced to drop out of the race in disgrace, after his true persona came to light. Platner was caught with a Nazi tattoo on his chest and was busted for exchanging sexually explicit text messages with multiple other women after his marriage. His ex-lover said he kept the tattoo as a reminder of America being “the evil bad guy overseas.”
He finally stepped aside after accusations of sexual assault and rape rocked his campaign. But who will replace him? The current front-runner is a progressive named Troy Jackson, who’s already being dubbed a “rugged everyman” by Politico.
In addition to Jackson, other liberal candidates like James Talarico of Texas, Rob Sand of Iowa, and Keisha Bottoms of Georgia are already mimicking Spanberger to avoid scaring off voters.
The Western Journal will be profiling these candidates, and several others, with follow-up installments until Election Day. Yet to truly understand the damage they’re capable of doing, we must examine Spanberger’s coup in Virginia.
She spent eight years at the Central Intelligence Agency as an undercover operative, practiced in deceit. The Washington Post even referred to her as an ex-spy after she was elected to Congress in 2019.
Even more concerning is that Virginia’s political leadership often flips back and forth between both parties. Spanberger ignored this entirely and instead opted for a hostile takeover. After assuming office, she dropped her moderate mask, signing bills more suited to California than The Old Dominion.
On day one, she ended cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and had the gall to frame it as a public safety win. Local Democrats heard the dog whistle and began pushing their massive political wish list, some of which has already come true.
Democrats now control the legislature and Governor’s office in Virginia.
Here are just a few of the bills they’ve introduced
– New 4.3% sales tax on Uber Eats, Amazon, etc deliveries.
– New sales tax on admissions to a wide variety of businesses.
– Create two new higher tax…— Greg Price (@greg_price11) January 19, 2026
A month later, Virginia joined the redistricting fight. Spanberger pushed for a constitutional amendment that would dramatically change the state’s congressional delegation. Naturally, the new maps disenfranchised rural voters by adding four Democratic House seats, turning a 6-5 advantage into a 10-1 edge.
The effort was reportedly funded in part by Soros-backed organizations.
The Virginia Supreme Court struck down the measure because it violated several procedural guidelines, but that didn’t stop her from forging ahead.
In April, she helped resurrect Virginia’s diversity, equity and inclusion office. In June, she drew criticism for appointing transgender activist Kellen MacBeth to a state advisory board.
The governor also signed a sweeping gun-control measure into law, banning certain semiautomatic firearms, prompting a public warning from the Justice Department.
ON NOTICE! Virginia residents are Americans with constitutionally-guaranteed rights this DOJ will enforce! https://t.co/MQEN8iHu5v
— Harmeet K. Dhillon (@HarmeetKDhillon) April 10, 2026
As of late June, the law was put on hold after an injunction was issued, setting up a potential Supreme Court showdown, according to WSET-TV. When it comes to immigration, she was caught on camera laughing at the idea of a border wall, and she seems to want to turn Virginia into a sanctuary state.
When asked about absurd tax proposals on gym memberships, streaming services, dry cleaning, and even dog grooming, she wouldn’t rule them out during a May interview with WRIC-TV.
She took a hard left turn on climate change and rejoined the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, reinstating a cap-and-trade program which took effect on July 1, and also signed onto the unconstitutional Popular Vote Compact, in an attempt to circumvent the Electoral College.
Are these truly the actions of a moderate? No, they’re the actions of a Trojan horse.
Voters must be vigilant about so-called centrist Democrats, because behind every moderate, there appears to be a liberal fanatic whom the media will always run cover for.
Today’s Democratic Party almost always votes in lockstep and punishes individuality. The idea that any of these candidates will compromise if elected is absurd.
They will vote together on all major issues, attack conservatives at all costs, and claim the moral high ground while shredding the Constitution to bits.
This would gridlock the entire nation and erode our individual liberties, turning the American dream into a far-left nightmare.
We must be on guard, for as it says in the scriptures, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world,” seeking the destruction of all that is good. Buyer beware.
Be on the lookout for Part Two of our “False Moderates” Series next week.
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