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Virginia’s Democratic statewide ticket brought its campaign bus to Falls Church’s Eden Center on June 27, presenting a united front while warning that federal job losses, tariffs and rising costs are putting pressure on Northern Virginia families and businesses.

Abigail Spanberger, Ghazala Hashmi and Jay Jones—running for governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general, respectively—made the shopping center their first stop on a daylong tour of Northern Virginia. Crowds followed the candidates through the complex, which is home to more than 120 largely family-owned Vietnamese shops, restaurants and other small businesses.

The November 4 elections in Virginia and New Jersey will be the nation’s only statewide contests this fall, making them closely watched measures of the political climate following President Donald Trump’s 2024 victory.

A sweep by the Virginia Democratic nominees would also produce several firsts: Spanberger would become the commonwealth’s first Democratic woman governor, Hashmi its first South Asian, Muslim woman lieutenant governor and Jones its first Black attorney general.

Affordability and federal cuts dominate visit

Asked about fears that Eden Center businesses could be displaced by rising costs, Spanberger said the problem extends beyond housing to commercial rents.

She recalled visiting Eden Center while living in Arlington and described the complex as both a regional destination and an important home base for families who established businesses after immigrating to the United States. Her housing and affordability proposals address part of that pressure, she said, while acknowledging that commercial real estate presents its own challenges.

Hashmi said concerns about housing and the federal workforce repeatedly arise as the ticket travels through Northern Virginia. Job losses and uncertainty in Washington could ripple through the regional economy and hurt small businesses such as those at Eden Center, she said.

If elected, Hashmi said, the Democratic ticket would work with Democratic governors and attorneys general in other states, including through litigation challenging Trump administration actions.

She also contrasted the ticket’s joint appearances with the campaigns of Republican nominees Winsome Earle-Sears for governor, John Reid for lieutenant governor and Jason Miyares for attorney general. Hashmi argued that Democrats are running a cohesive campaign centered on education, health care and other daily concerns, while accusing Republicans of emphasizing cultural disputes and personal attacks.

Local leaders welcome candidates

Alan Frank, Eden Center’s vice president and general counsel, said visits from candidates for state and federal office have become increasingly common. He viewed that attention as recognition of the Asian American electorate and said political visits help engage the local Vietnamese community.

Falls Church Vice Mayor Debbie Hiscott said the tour gave the nominees a close look at a commercial center known for its food, cultural offerings and Lunar New Year celebrations. She expressed optimism about the Democratic ticket and said its success would benefit both Virginia and Northern Virginia businesses.

Former City Council member Phil Duncan, serving as Falls Church’s city chronicler, called the stop an acknowledgment of the area’s progressive electorate and politically active residents. He said Eden Center offered the candidates an opportunity to connect with local businesses at a time when federal workforce reductions are affecting highly educated residents who suddenly find themselves looking for work.

Falls Church resident Debra Shushan said Virginia voters have an opportunity both to change the direction of state government and to send a broader national message. She cited federal workforce cuts and concerns about individual rights and freedoms as major issues motivating her ahead of the election.

Mayor Letty Hardi opened the campaign gathering by describing Eden Center as an example of a diverse, energetic Virginia built around opportunity. The city’s first Asian American mayor pointed to housing, public education and health care as essential investments in the commonwealth’s future.

Jones promises a more aggressive attorney general

Speaking inside an Eden Center dining hall, Jones emphasized the ticket’s unity and introduced himself as the son and grandson of civil rights leaders from Norfolk.

He highlighted work by Democrats in the General Assembly to expand civil rights, increase teacher pay, raise the minimum wage and expand Medicaid. Jones also cited his experience as an assistant attorney general, including actions involving landlords, corporate interests, gun policy and voting rights.

Jones accused Miyares of failing to protect Virginians from price increases and exploitative rental practices. He said that, as attorney general, he would pursue price gouging, housing discrimination and violations of civil rights and liberties, particularly those affecting communities of color.

Hashmi frames diversity as an American ideal

Hashmi, a state senator representing Richmond and Chesterfield County, drew on her three decades in higher education and her background teaching American literature.

She connected Eden Center’s immigrant community to the expansive American identity described by poets Walt Whitman and Langston Hughes. Hashmi said her successful 2019 campaign represented a declaration that her name and experience were fully American.

She urged the audience to claim an inclusive national identity rooted in the Constitution’s opening phrase, “We the People.” Hashmi also criticized Trump’s policies as discriminatory and divisive, arguing that Virginia voters could reject that approach in November.

Spanberger says communities need protection from Washington

Spanberger closed the event by calling Eden Center an essential part of Falls Church and Northern Virginia. Conversations with its business owners, she said, reinforced her determination to win and support the people and gathering places that drive local economies.

She argued that tariffs and other federal policies are creating difficulties for businesses across Virginia. With more than 320,000 federal employees living in the commonwealth, she said, dismissals and fears of further job losses affect not only individual households but entire communities and the state economy.

Spanberger outlined priorities that included small-business support, affordability, housing, energy, health care and stronger public schools. She said Virginia children should have meaningful opportunities to enter careers or attend college.

Pointing to Eden Center’s distinct shops and restaurants—including a boba tea business designed to resemble an airplane—Spanberger described the complex as evidence of individual dreams becoming reality.

Virginia’s next leaders, she said, must strengthen the conditions that allow those ambitions to succeed, defend communities from damaging federal actions and focus on governing instead of political theater. She told supporters the ticket would work to win in November and then seek to make Virginia a national example of effective government beginning in January.