Voters Are Waking Up to the “Moderates” Bait and Switch
From Virginia to California: Voters Are Waking Up to the “Moderates” Bait and Switch.
Spanberger in Virginia.
Mahan in California.
Different states, same political pattern.
Across the country, voters are starting to notice a troubling trend: candidates who brand themselves as “moderates” on the campaign trail often govern very differently once in office. Nowhere is that clearer than in Virginia and California, two states thousands of miles apart but suddenly linked by a shared sense of voter regret.
In Virginia, many residents say they’re stunned by the sheer number of new taxes proposed by Abigail Spanberger. In California, voters are beginning to see similar warning signs from Matt Mahan, who was elected because he was able to get a lot of conservatives to vote for him by pretending to be a moderate. The San Jose mayor now running for governor, supported Measure A, a sales‑tax increase in Santa Clara County and has expressed the need for yet more additional tax hikes:
New revenue measures tied to housing and transportation
Fees and assessments that function like taxes
Regional tax proposals pushed by Bay Area agencies
“Temporary” taxes that historically become permanent in California
Here are Spanberger's new taxes that she just rolled out:
New local sales tax in all Virginia counties and cities
New personal property tax on electric leaf blowers and electric landscaping equipment
Large employer tax
Gun and ammunition tax
New income tax brackets
Delivery tax, which would hit Amazon, Uber Eats, FedEx, and UPS orders in Northern Virginia
Investment income tax
Event tax
Storage facility tax
Gym membership tax
Dog walking tax
Dog grooming tax
Counseling tax
Digital personal property tax
New car taxes and highway use fees
Increase in the hotel tax in Arlington
Statewide speed cameras (not a tax, but more fines for drivers)
Vehicle repair tax
Home repair tax
Dry cleaning tax
Fantasy sports tax
Rideshare taxes
Californians are already paying some of the highest taxes in the nation income tax, gas tax, sales tax, property tax, utility fees, vehicle fees. Virginia learned the hard way that ‘moderates’ who promise balance can turn into tax‑and‑spend machines overnight.
Virginia already fell for the bait‑and‑switch. California, please, don’t hand Matt Mahan the fishing pole!
Carol Pefley
Candidate for Ca State Assembly
