India, Feb. 25 -- Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger will present the Democratic Party's response to President Donald Trump's State of the Union address, a role usually assigned to a legislator regarded as a rising star within their party.

The decision to select Spanberger shows that the governor, who made history as the first woman elected to lead her state last November after having served in the U.S. House, will be central to the Democrats' counter to the President's much-anticipated speech on Tuesday evening.

"Since the people of the Virginia Colony first gathered to take on the extraordinary task of governing themselves, Williamsburg has served as a testament to the power of ordinary citizens to shape the future of our nation, de...