“Virginians deserve a thoughtful representative who is focused on addressing Virginia’s greatest challenges, not an extreme ideologue.” (Twitter, 8/3/22)

 

“I was born into a world where women were no longer dying from back-alley abortions. As were my three daughters…We voted to codify Roe in the House and the Senate needs to take it up for a vote.”  (Twitter, 5/2/22)

 

“To summarize what we know is true, my extreme opponent supports an nationwide ban on abortion, asserts that women who are raped cannot become pregnant, and refuses to answer questions about exceptions to rape, incest, or life of the mother.” (Twitter, 7/21/22)

 

“I’m ranked the most bipartisan Member of Congress from Virginia because I know how to solve problem facing our families, seniors, and businesses. We need to build coalitions to actually get things done.” (Twitter, 7/22/22

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Spanberger’s GOP opponent Yesli Vega has questioned whether rape can lead to pregnancy and downplayed the January 6th riot as "a group of Americans exercising their First Amendment rights." Spanberger maintains that those positions "are out of touch with voters in the district, but also reality…. In our race, I certainly want people to vote for me, but I think the contrast and the options couldn't be clearer." (CNN, 7/27/22)

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EXPERIENCE

After graduating from the University of Virginia in 2001, Spanberger moved to Germany and earned her MBA from a German American program run by GISMA Business School and Purdue University.

 

Spanberger began her career in public service as a federal law enforcement officer handling narcotics and money laundering cases with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.  Later she joined the CIA as a case officer. She traveled and lived abroad collecting intelligence, managing assets, and overseeing high-profile programs in service to the United States.

 

In 2014, Spanberger left government service for a career in the private sector, bringing her family back home to Virginia. In 2018, she became the first Democrat since 1971 to be elected to represent Virginia’s 7th Congressional district. 

 

ON THE ISSUES

• "Ensuring reproductive freedom for the women in Central VA is good for families and for our economy. I am honored to be endorsed by @NARAL Pro-Choice America." (www.facebook.com)

 

• As a former federal law enforcement officer, Spanberger recognizes the critical importance of keeping our communities safe and holding perpetrators accountable for their actions that harm others. But she also knows that for far too many Americans, injustices pervade our criminal justice system and later endanger their ability to receive a quality education, find fulfilling employment, or support their families. In Congress, one of Rep. Spanberger’s top priorities is to help pass meaningful, bipartisan criminal justice reform, including legislation to reduce mass incarceration, end the school-to-prison pipeline, and treat drug addiction like a public health issue, not a crime. 

 

• "Today, I urged House Committee leaders to stabilize the ACA & build a real strategy for expanding healthcare coverage. Affordable healthcare is one of the best economic investments we can make as a country." (twitter.com)

 

• "I support efforts to bring greater transparency to campaign finance, overturn Citizens United, and block illegal foreign funds from influencing our elections." abigailspanberger.com)

 

• Rated 0% by National Rifle Association. (votesmart.org)

 

• "I am committed to finding real, bipartisan solutions to fix our immigration system, and I will work with anyone to create a proposal for immigration reform that ensures border security, takes into account the needs of our workforce, respects our values and history, gives certainty to DACA recipients, and creates an earned pathway to legal status for undocumented immigrants currently living here as long as they abide by the law, work hard, nd pay taxes." (votesmart.org)

 

• Public schools are the social and economic backbone of our cities, towns, and rural communities. Rep. Spanberger is fighting in Congress to give every child access to a high-quality public education, and she is opposed to any effort to privatize our public education system. Congress can do more to address educational disparities among underserved populations, improve career and technical education programs, and make sure teachers have secure retirements.

 

• Led the introduction of the Public Disclosure of Drug Discounts Act, which passed in the U.S. House by a vote of 403 to 0

 

• Cosponsored and passed the Lower Prescription Drug Costs Now Act to give Medicare the power to directly negotiate drug prices.

 

VIRGINIA POLITICS

This House seat had been in Republican hands since 1971 when Spanberger won in 2018, 50% to 48%. In 2016, Trump won the district, 51% to Clinton’s 44%.  In 2020, Biden beat Trump, 49.8% to 48.7%, while Spanberger beat her opponent, Freitas, 50.8% to 49%. winning by 8,270 votes. (Ballotpedia)

 

According to Politico’s Steve Shepard (8/12/22): “…Spanberger’s new district extends north into the D.C exurbs, and it got about 5 points more Democratic. That’s good news for an incumbent who won reelection in 2020 by just 2 points – but Spanberger is less than safe against Yesli Vega in a good Republican year.”

 

Vega is a former police officer and Prince William Co. Supervisor. She favors an absolute ban on abortions even though some 50% of Virginians favor the state’s current pro-choice laws. Vega has focused her campaign on President Joe Biden’s unpopularity, high inflation, and her support for law enforcement. She would “absolutely” support a Trump presidential run in 2024 and has cast doubt on the outcome of the 2020 election. At the July 2022 CPAC event, she has framed her race with Spanberger as “good vs evil.”

 

Virginia’s 2021 election of far-right highly controversial Glenn Youngkin for governor is indicative of the political headwinds facing Democrats this year.

The National Republican Campaign Committee has included this seat among 70 targeted raises. It is one of the most races competitive in the nation.

Foreign Affairs

   Subcommittee on Pacific, Central Asia and
   Nonproliferation

   Subcommittee on Europe, Energy, the Environment
    and Cyber

Agriculture

    Subcommittee on Conservation and Forestry (Chair)

     Subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture

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ENDORSEMENTS INCLUDE:

Voter Protection Project, AIPAC (American Israeli Public Affairs Committee)

Common Defense

Emily’s List

Giffords

Everytown for Gun Safety

League of Conservation Voters

LGBT Democrats of Virginia

New Politics

Planned Parenthood Action Fund     

Sierra Club

Virginia AFL-CIO

VoteVets

When Democrats Turn Out

Foreign Policy for America