The upcoming Virginia gubernatorial election is notable not only because it features two female major-party candidates for the first time in state history, but also because it reflects broader national sentiments about economic policy under the Trump administration. In this political climate, Democratic candidate Abigail Spanberger has been inaccurately portrayed by Republican opponents as supporting anti-capitalist policies. This kind of labeling distracts voters from evaluating actual policy proposals and instead encourages decisions based on fear and ideological stereotypes.
Spanberger, who runs on a moderate platform, has clearly differentiated her economic stance from that of more progressive figures like New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. While Mamdani advocates for higher taxes on corporations and the wealthy, Spanberger has not proposed such measures and instead supports tax relief initiatives. She has also publicly criticized more radical economic ideas within her own party, warning against socialist approaches. Despite these positions, she continues to be misrepresented as favoring socialist economics.
This mischaracterization underscores a deeper issue: many Americans lack sufficient understanding of fundamental economic systems such as capitalism, socialism, and communism due to gaps in secondary education. Currently, only about half of U.S. states require high school economics courses. Virginia does mandate one credit combining personal finance and economics, but this blended approach limits in-depth exploration of either subject.
For young voters aged 18 to 24—many participating in their first local elections—this educational gap makes them vulnerable to misleading economic rhetoric. A single combined course is insufficient to equip all Virginians with the analytical tools needed to navigate complex policy debates. In an era where political messaging often distorts economic facts, strengthening economics instruction is essential.
Enhancing the curriculum could involve increasing the required credits, separating personal finance from economics into distinct courses, or ensuring in-person teaching to improve engagement and comprehension. Such reforms would provide students with a stronger foundation for evaluating policy claims and making informed choices at the ballot box.
Beyond improving civic literacy, expanded economics education may also boost voter turnout. When individuals feel confident in their understanding of key national issues like the economy, they are more likely to participate in elections. With concerns about declining voter engagement following the lowest turnout in Virginia’s presidential election since 2000, education reform could play a pivotal role in revitalizing democratic participation.
As economic policies become increasingly politicized, Virginia has an opportunity to lead by prioritizing robust economics education. Doing so would not only prepare future voters to resist manipulation but also set a national example for fostering fact-based discourse. Greater economic literacy can help reduce polarization by shifting public debate away from labels and toward evidence-driven discussion.
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NERO: Virginia must further prioritize high school economics education
The upcoming Virginia gubernatorial election holds significance, as it is the first in the state where both major party candidates are women. In addition to this, it represents a litmus test for public opinion of the Trump presidency so far. In Virginia, Republican Party opponents have accused Democratic candidate Abigail Spanberger of having policies that threaten capitalism. The mischaracterization of economic policy has been used by politicians in the United States to make voters perceive candidates based on fear of labels rather than their proposed policies. Incorrect messaging about economic policies will continue to impact states with key elections coming up like Virginia. Regardless of the merits of policies, the mischaracterization of policies as threatening capitalism functions to prevent voters from making fact-based decisions and will lead them to base their voting decisions on biased sources. Education is the answer to this problem. n nSpanberger is running on a centrist platform. Some of Spanberger’s Republican opponents are drawing a comparison between her and Democratic Socialist New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani on the basis of economic policy. Spanberger has pushed back against economic comparisons between them, as they support different policies — for instance, Mamdani wants to explicitly increase taxes on corporations and wealthy individuals, while Spanberger has not publicly supported taxing corporations and wealthy individuals but rather has advocated for tax relief. Furthermore, Spanberger has previously spoken out against Democratic colleagues with less moderate views and has warned against socialist economic policies. Despite communicating her position as a centrist and creating a platform free of economically socialist policies, Spanberger has fallen victim to labeling that paints her as anti-capitalist. n nToo many Americans have not been educated enough about economic concepts and systems like capitalism, socialism and communism because their high school curriculum is not addressing this need. Only about half of states mandate economics courses as a part of high school curriculum. Luckily, Virginia is one of these states. However, the requirement in Virginia is for one credit of economics and personal finance which lumps two important topics together and does not give each enough space in curriculum. Virginia should expand its economics education in high school, and in turn address political mischaracterization. n nEven in a state like Virginia, these inaccuracies matter. Young voters between the ages of 18-24, often voting in some of their first local elections, are particularly susceptible to economic rhetoric that may be incorrect as they do not have enough exposure in their education to be able to recognize when mischaracterization is used. One required class of all Virginians — that is not entirely focused on economics but is a combined requirement with personal finance — is not enough to economically educate the entire population of Virginia. In the current political climate that requires voters to sift through incorrect messaging to establish fact based opinions on policies, it is imperative that economics education gets further prioritized in Virginia. n nExpanding economics requirements in high school would help strengthen the foundation that voters have to make informed decisions. Currently in Virginia, the requirement for high schoolers is one credit of online personal finance and economics. Expansion could look like increasing the requirement beyond one credit, creating two distinct personal finance and economics requirements, or moving instruction of the course to be in person to ensure that students get ample education on both topics. n nBeyond Virginians learning more about a vital part of their financial and political life, more education for individuals can spur greater voter turnout. Especially educating one’s self in a topic as important to the country as economics will encourage more Virginians to take stances based in real economic understanding. With concerns that voter turnout may drop for the upcoming gubernatorial race after Virginia’s lowest turnout since 2000 in this past presidential election, economics education could be a factor in the transformation that this state needs. n nIn a political climate where economic policies are mislabeled as a means of persuasion, it is becoming imperative to prioritize economics education to equip young voters to make informed decisions ahead of the gubernatorial race this November. Increased economics education can help incentivize higher voter turnout in Virginia, but also set a precedent nationally by preventing campaigns from holding voters back from making informed decisions based on policy and promoting policies that support increased education throughout the United States. In turn, helping young people become literate about economics can help mend polarization by encouraging informed voting and policy debates based in fact rather than mischaracterization. n nEmma Nero is an opinion columnist who writes about economics, business and housing for The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at opinion@cavalierdaily.com.