Abigail Anne Davis Spanberger[1] (/ˈspænbɜːrɡər/ SPAN-bur-gər; née Davis; born August 7, 1979) is an American politician and former intelligence officer who has served as the U.S. representative from Virginia's 7th congressional district since 2019. She is a member of the Democratic Party.

Abigail Spanberger
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Virginia's 7th district
Assumed office
January 3, 2019
Preceded byDave Brat
Personal details
Born
Abigail Anne Davis

(1979-08-07) August 7, 1979 (age 45)
Red Bank, New Jersey, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseAdam Spanberger
Children3
EducationUniversity of Virginia (BA)
Purdue University (MBA)
WebsiteHouse website
Espionage activity
AllegianceUnited States
Service branchCentral Intelligence Agency
Service years2006–2014
RankOperations Officer

A former CIA officer, Spanberger broke the Republican Party's 38-year hold on the district when she was first elected in 2018 by defeating incumbent Dave Brat. She won reelection in 2020 and 2022. In November 2023, she announced she would not run for reelection and would instead run for governor of Virginia in 2025.

Early life and education

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Spanberger was born Abigail Anne Davis[2] in Red Bank, New Jersey, on August 7, 1979,[3] where her father was a police officer and her mother was a nurse.[4] She relocated with her parents, Martin and Eileen Davis,[5] to Short Pump, in Henrico County in Virginia, outside Richmond, when she was 13 after her father moved from policing to federal law enforcement for the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. She attended John Randolph Tucker High School. Spanberger was later a page for U.S. senator Chuck Robb.[6]

Spanberger earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Virginia and a Master of Business Administration from a joint program between the GISMA Business School in Germany and Purdue University's Krannert School of Management.[6]

Early career

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In 2002 and 2003, Spanberger taught English literature as a substitute teacher at the Islamic Saudi Academy in Northern Virginia.[7] In the early 2000s, she was a postal inspector, working on money laundering and narcotics cases.[8]

In 2006, Spanberger joined the Central Intelligence Agency as an operations officer.[9] She said she gathered intelligence about nuclear proliferation and terrorism.[10]

In 2014, Spanberger left the CIA and entered the private sector. She was hired by Royall & Company (now EAB).[11] In 2017, Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe appointed her to the Virginia Fair Housing Board.[12]

U.S. House of Representatives

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Elections

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2018

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Spanberger speaking at a campaign rally on election day eve in 2018

In July 2017, Spanberger announced her candidacy for the United States House of Representatives in Virginia's 7th congressional district in the 2018 election against incumbent Republican Dave Brat, a Tea Party movement member.[13][14][15] She made the final decision to run after the House of Representatives voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act.[8] On June 12, 2018, Spanberger defeated Dan Ward in the Democratic primary election with 73% of the vote, receiving more votes than any other candidate in the Virginia primaries that day.[16][17] Her campaign outraised Brat's.[18]

 
Spanberger during the 116th Congress

In August, the Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC closely aligned with Republican speaker of the House Paul Ryan, conducted a smear campaign against Spanberger. The smear campaign, which attempted to tie her to terrorism, was based on an SF-86 application she completed to obtain security clearance, which was inappropriately released in breach of privacy rules.[19] She won the November 6 general election by just over 6,800 votes.[20] While Brat won eight of the district's ten counties, Spanberger dominated the two largest counties, Henrico and Chesterfield, by a combined margin of over 30,000 votes.[21]

In a visit to the district, former Trump adviser Steve Bannon described it as "an absolute bellwether of the entire country", adding that losing the district would mean the GOP losing control of the House.[22]

A number of sources claimed Spanberger was the first Democrat to win this seat since 1970, when four-term Democrat John Marsh retired and was succeeded by Republican J. Kenneth Robinson.[23] But until 1993, the 7th stretched from the outer Washington suburbs through the Shenandoah Valley and Charlottesville to the outer Richmond suburbs;[24] the present 7th is geographically and demographically the successor to what was the 3rd district before 1993.[25]

2020

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Spanberger faced a close reelection contest against state Delegate Nick Freitas, who represents much of the congressional district's northern portion. She won with 51% of the vote to Freitas's 49%. Freitas carried eight of the district's ten counties, as Brat had done two years earlier. But Spanberger again prevailed by winning the district's shares of Henrico and Chesterfield counties by a combined 43,400 votes, five times her overall margin of 8,400 votes.[26][27] She was also boosted by Joe Biden narrowly carrying the district;[28] Biden is the first Democrat to win what is now the 7th since 1948.

On November 5, days after winning reelection by a margin of 1.8%,[29] Spanberger criticized the Democratic Party's strategy for the 2020 elections in a phone call with other Democratic caucus members that was subsequently leaked.[30] Calling the elections "a failure" from a congressional standpoint, she singled out Republican attack ads decrying "socialism" and the movement to "defund the police" as prime reasons the Democratic Party lost seats in swing districts. She argued that Democrats should watch Republican ads before deciding how to talk about issues and "not ever use the word 'socialist' or 'socialism' ever again".[31]

CNN political editor Chris Cillizza described Spanberger's remarks as "some hard truth" for the Democratic Party, adding that in order to succeed in the 2022 and 2024 elections, the party should "listen to the likes of Spanberger" instead of pushing for "the boldest possible progressive legislation".[32] Spanberger's remarks were disputed by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who noted that Democrats kept the House, and progressive representative Rashida Tlaib, who said the Democratic Party should "study the results" before dismissing progressives who represent their districts.[31] The Washington Post digital editor James Downie criticized Spanberger's view, remarking that if a losing officeholder "couldn't manage to tie his or her Republican opponent to almost a quarter of a million COVID-19 deaths in the United States, a tanked economy or a dozen other policy fiascos, that's the candidate's fault."[33] Downie quoted progressive representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who had noted that no swing-district House Democrat who co-sponsored Medicare for All lost their seat, and had remarked in response to Spanberger's comments that "not a single member of Congress that I'm aware of campaigned on socialism or defunding the police in this general election."[33][34]

2022

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After the 2020 United States redistricting cycle, Spanberger's district was radically redrawn, and no longer included her home in Henrico County. Despite this, Spanberger ran for reelection in the seat. She was well within her rights to do so, since members of the House are only required to live in the state they represent. Spanberger was seen as one of the most vulnerable incumbents of the 2022 election cycle, with pre-election polls projecting a close race with Republican Prince William County supervisor Yesli Vega, a law enforcement officer endorsed by Governor Glenn Youngkin and former president Donald Trump.[35][36] In the general election, Spanberger defeated Vega by 52% to 48%.[37][38]

Committee assignments

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Spanberger's committee assignments include:[39][40]

Caucus memberships

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Political positions

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Spanberger is a centrist Democrat.[44] In the 2019 Speaker of the United States House of Representatives election on the opening day of the 116th United States Congress, Spanberger voted for U.S. representative Cheri Bustos, an Illinois Democrat, joining 11 other Democrats who did not back Nancy Pelosi.[45]

Abortion

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Spanberger supports legal abortion.[46]

COVID-19 policy

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On February 1, 2023, Spanberger was among 12 Democrats to vote for a resolution to end the COVID-19 national emergency.[47][48]

On January 31, 2023, Spanberger was among seven Democrats to vote for H.R.497, the Freedom for Health Care Workers Act, a bill that would lift COVID-19 vaccine mandates for healthcare workers.[49][50]

Crime

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In 2023, Spanberger voted against overturning the District of Columbia's revision of its criminal code, which reduced the maximum penalties for burglary, carjacking, and robbery.[51][52]

Spanberger opposes defunding the police,[53] and has supported bills that would increase the ability of local police departments to hire and train more officers.[54]

Economy

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Although not a member of Congress when it passed, Spanberger criticized the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act supported by President Donald Trump, arguing that its permanent tax cuts for corporations would increase the national debt.[46]

Spanberger has called for the passage of the USMCA trade deal negotiated between the Trump administration, Mexico, and Canada.[55][56]

In May 2020, Spanberger voted against the HEROES Act, a proposed $3 trillion stimulus package in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.[57] She said the bill went "far beyond" pandemic relief and had no chance of passing the Republican-controlled Senate.[58] In November 2020, Spanberger led a bipartisan effort to secure the 340B Drug Pricing Program against changes that would lead to significant increases in prescription medication costs.[59]

Environment

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Spanberger has called climate change "one of the greatest and most imminent threats to our economy, our national security, and our way of life" and said she will "stand up to attacks against science."[46] During a Committee on Foreign Affairs meeting in 2019, Spanberger asked the Trump administration to reverse its isolationist policies, saying, "it's in [the US's] national interest to reinforce our stature as a global leader on international environmental and energy issues."[60]

She described the Green New Deal proposed by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez as a "bold compilation of ideas meant to address global climate change" but criticized it for allegedly including unrelated policy proposals and not identifying specific resolutions to the problems that it identifies. "Overall I am not a supporter of the Green New Deal", she said.[61]

In February 2023, Spanberger, along with Representatives Randy Weber (R‑TX 14th), Lizzie Fletcher (D‑TX 07th), Nancy Mace (R‑SC 01st), Don Davis (D‑NC 01st), and Anna Eshoo (D‑CA 16th), introduced the Reinvesting in Shoreline Economies and Ecosystems Act, which aims to share federal offshore wind power revenue with states for coastal protection and restoration work. The bill was also introduced in the Senate.[62][63]

Foreign affairs

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In February 2023, during the Russo–Ukrainian War, Spanberger signed a letter advocating for President Biden to give F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine.[64]

Guns

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Spanberger has called for a new version of the Federal Assault Weapons Ban that expired in 2004. She favors requiring background checks on private gun sales and supported a ban on bump stocks.[46]

Health care

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Spanberger supports the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).[46] She supports a public option for healthcare via the proposed Medicare-X Choice Act.[57] In November 2020, she described reducing the cost of prescription drugs as "the top priority of families in [her] district".[59]

In January 2020, Spanberger sponsored the Public Disclosure of Drug Discounts Act, which passed the House unanimously. The bill requires pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), who manage prescription drug benefits for health insurance companies, to publicize the rebates, discounts, and price concessions they negotiate, via a website hosted by the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. Spanberger also co-sponsored the Elijah Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, which grants Medicare Part D the power to negotiate prescription prices directly with drug companies.[65]

Immigration

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Spanberger objected to President Trump's travel bans from certain predominantly Muslim countries and argued that they would aid jihadist propaganda by allowing a portrayal of the United States as an anti-Muslim country. She has voiced her support for stronger border security measures but opposes Trump's proposed wall.[46] She voted for a bill that included funding for border infrastructure, technology at ports of entry and more customs and border patrol agents. She said she does not support "sanctuary cities" but also called the term "a campaign slogan a lot of people get caught up in." She added that it "degrades the value of the conversation if we're not actually talking about what the real concern is."[61] Spanberger called for a pathway to legal status for illegal immigrants who abide by the laws, work, and pay taxes.[46]

Spanberger voted to allow U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to be notified when undocumented immigrants attempt to purchase firearms, and voted against the House budget in summer 2019 because it failed to acknowledge the growing national debt.[57]

Ban on stock trading

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Spanberger supports banning members of Congress from trading stocks. She has introduced legislation that would require lawmakers, as well as their spouses and dependent children, to place assets in a blind trust while in office.[66][67]

Presidents

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Donald Trump

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According to FiveThirtyEight's congressional vote tracker, Spanberger voted with President Donald Trump 6.9% of the time.[68] In the 2016 presidential election, Trump defeated Hillary Clinton with 50% of the vote to her 44% in Spanberger's congressional district.[69]

On September 23, 2019, Spanberger joined six other freshman House Democrats with national security backgrounds in calling for an impeachment inquiry into Trump. They co-wrote a Washington Post opinion piece explaining their support for an impeachment inquiry, writing: "Congress must determine whether the president was indeed willing to use his power and withhold security assistance funds to persuade a foreign country to assist him in an upcoming election." They wrote that if the allegations were true, they amounted to "a flagrant disregard for the law" and "a threat to all we have sworn to protect."[70] Spanberger later announced that she would vote in favor of impeachment. "The President's actions violate his oath of office, endanger our national security, and betray the public trust", she said.[71]

On June 1, 2020, Spanberger tweeted criticism of Trump's reaction to the George Floyd protests, a series of protests against police brutality that began in Minneapolis on May 26. On June 2, The Washington Post and The New York Times quoted Spanberger and several other high-profile former CIA analysts' interpretations of Trump's reaction to the protests as reminiscent of the reaction of totalitarian dictators on the brink of losing control of their dictatorships. "As a former CIA officer, I know this playbook, and I know the president's actions are betraying the very foundation of the rule of law he purports to support, the U.S. Constitution", she said.[72][73][74] Spanberger took issue with Trump after police used tear gas and rubber bullets on peaceful protestors and a priest during the George Floyd protests to clear a path so that he could have a photo op in front of St. John's Episcopal Church.[75][72]

Spanberger opposed Democrats' attempts to amend the Insurrection Act of 1807, saying that amending the rarely used law would not accomplish what Democrats intended.[57]

Joe Biden

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In a November 2021 interview with the New York Times, Spanberger criticized Biden after the 2021 Virginia gubernatorial election, saying, "Nobody elected him to be F.D.R., they elected him to be normal and stop the chaos."[76] She also said the Democrats had not sufficiently recognized that "inflation is a problem".[77]

Electoral history

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2018 Democratic primary results[78]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Abigail Spanberger 33,210 72.68
Democratic Daniel Ward 12,483 27.32
Total votes 45,693 100.0
Virginia's 7th congressional district, 2018[79]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Abigail Spanberger 176,079 50.34
Republican Dave Brat (incumbent) 169,295 48.40
Libertarian Joe Walton 4,216 1.21
n/a Write-ins 213 0.06
Total votes 349,803 100.0
Democratic gain from Republican
Virginia's 7th congressional district, 2020[80]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Abigail Spanberger (incumbent) 230,893 50.82
Republican Nick Freitas 222,623 49.00
n/a Write-ins 823 0.18
Total votes 454,339 100.0
Democratic hold
Virginia's 7th congressional district, 2022[80]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Abigail Spanberger (incumbent) 143,357 52.2
Republican Yesli Vega 130,586 47.6
n/a Write-ins 647 0.2
Total votes 274,590 100.0
Democratic hold

Personal life

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Spanberger is married to Adam Spanberger, an engineer, and they have three daughters. In 2014, the family moved back to Henrico County. They live in Glen Allen, Virginia.[81][82] She is a Protestant.[83]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ https://historical.elections.virginia.gov/candidates/view/Abigail-Anne-Davis-Spanberger/
  2. ^ "Abigail Spanberger (Col '01)". University of Virginia Magazine. UVA Alumni Association. October 19, 2017. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  3. ^ Gonzales, Nathan L. (October 12, 2017). "Candidate Conversation - Abigail Spanberger (D)". Inside Elections. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  4. ^ Vozzella, Laura (November 12, 2023). "Virginia Rep. Abigail Spanberger to Run for Governor in 2025." MSN.com. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  5. ^ Times-Dispatch, PATRICK WILSON Richmond (November 9, 2018). "Spanberger on her victory: 'I want to be accountable'". Richmond Times-Dispatch.
  6. ^ a b "Abigail Spanberger's passion for languages led her to the CIA". The Richmond Times-Dispatch. May 12, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
  7. ^ Vozzella, Laura (September 11, 2018). "Saudi School Dominates TV Ads in Race for Suburban Richmond Congressional Seat". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
  8. ^ a b "This former CIA officer says she can beat Virginia Rep. Dave Brat". The Washington Examiner website. May 30, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
  9. ^ "Former CIA Officer Abigail Spanberger is on a mission for Virginia's 7th District". RVA Magazine. May 3, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
  10. ^ "The operative: Abigail Spanberger". The Chesterfield Observer website. June 6, 2018. Archived from the original on October 9, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
  11. ^ Who are they? Virginia's fresh faces in Congress, WTKR, Nick Boykin, January 4, 2019. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  12. ^ Hall, Madison (November 5, 2020). "RESULTS: Nick Freitas squares off against Democratic incumbent Abigail Spanberger in Virginia's 7th Congressional District". www.msn.com. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  13. ^ Kim, Clare (June 10, 2014). "Eric Cantor loses GOP primary to tea party challenger Dave Brat". MSNBC. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  14. ^ "Abigail Spanberger becomes the fifth female candidate vying for the Democratic nomination to run against Republican Congressman Dave Brat". Elle.com. July 11, 2017. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
  15. ^ "'It's grilling time': Five women line up to challenge Rep. Brat". The Washington Post. July 24, 2017. Retrieved November 4, 2018.
  16. ^ Wilson, Patrick (June 12, 2018). "Abigail Spanberger easily defeats Dan Ward in 7th District Democratic primary". The Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  17. ^ "Spanberger wins Democratic primary in Virginia's 7th Congressional District". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
  18. ^ "Open Secrets breakdown of the 7th District". Open Secrets website. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
  19. ^ Harwood, John (August 31, 2018). "Democratic House candidate Abigail Spanberger suffers the kind of election year smear John McCain would recognize". CNBC. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  20. ^ Almukhtar, Sarah (November 7, 2018). "Virginia's 7th House District Election Results: Dave Brat vs. Abigail Spanberger". The New York Times. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  21. ^ "Virginia House". CNN. Archived from the original on November 9, 2018. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
  22. ^ Spinelli, Dan. "Abigail Spanberger Just Beat Tea Party Darling Dave Brat in Virginia". Mother Jones. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  23. ^ Christina Wilkie (November 11, 2018). "After nearly 50 years of Republican control, this Virginia House district could flip to the Democrats". CNBC.
  24. ^ See, for instance, a map of the 7th in 1990
  25. ^ See, for instance, a map of the 3rd in 1990
  26. ^ "Virginia House Results". CNN. Retrieved November 13, 2023.
  27. ^ "Virginia Election Results: Seventh Congressional District". The New York Times. November 3, 2020. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  28. ^ Virginia presidential results by congressional district Archived January 2, 2021, at the Wayback Machine from Virginia Department of Elections
  29. ^ "Abigail Spanberger declares victory over Freitas in 7th Congressional District race". nbc12.com. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
  30. ^ "Spanberger criticizes Democrats' strategy in caucus call". The Washington Post. November 5, 2020. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
  31. ^ a b Siegel, Benjamin (November 6, 2020). "'It was a failure': House Democrats grapple over surprise 2020 losses". ABC News. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
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  33. ^ a b Downie, James (November 8, 2020). "Democratic leaders play a ridiculous blame game with progressives". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
  34. ^ Tapper, Jake (November 8, 2020). "State of the Union: Interview with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY)". Cable News Network. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  35. ^ "Trump endorses Yesli Vega, Spanberger's GOP challenger". Associated Press. October 28, 2022.
  36. ^ "'A breath fresh air'—Youngkin endorses Vega for Virginia's 7th Congressional District". July 16, 2022.
  37. ^ "Virginia Seventh Congressional District Election Results". The New York Times. November 8, 2022. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  38. ^ "Spanberger narrowly defeats GOP challenger in closely watched House race in Virginia". NBC News. November 9, 2022. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  39. ^ "SPANBERGER SELECTED TO SERVE ON U.S. HOUSE COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS & U.S. HOUSE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE". Office of Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger. U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
  40. ^ "Peterson Announces House Agriculture Subcommittee Chairs for the 116th Congress". January 24, 2019. Archived from the original on January 30, 2019. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  41. ^ "New Democrat Coalition Inducts 30 Members-Elect and Elects New Leadership". New Democrat Coalition. November 30, 2018. Archived from the original on February 3, 2019. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  42. ^ "Featured Members". Problem Solvers Caucus. Retrieved March 28, 2021.
  43. ^ "Membership". Congressional Caucus for the Equal Rights Amendment. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  44. ^ Pope, Michael (June 13, 2018). "Democrats Didn't Always Pick The Most Progressive Candidate And That Might Help Them In November". WVTF. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
    Gambino, Lauren (July 20, 2019). "The moderate squad: swing-state Democrats wary of leftward path". The Guardian. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
    Greve, Joan E. (November 3, 2023). "Abigail Spanberger flexes her political power in a battleground state: 'I could see her as president'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
    Rubin, Jennifer (November 9, 2022). "Opinion | Abigail Spanberger again shows how to win as a centrist Democrat". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved September 21, 2024.
    Mutnick, Ally (July 28, 2023). "Abigail Spanberger tells Democrats she will run for governor". Politico.
    Broadwater, Luke (November 12, 2023). "Spanberger Announces Run for Governor in Virginia, Leaving House Seat in Play". The New York Times.
    Peterson, Kristina (September 14, 2021). "Democrats Hear Conflicting Messages From Voters on $3.5 Trillion Plan". The Wall Street Journal.
  45. ^ "Virginia congresswoman one of 12 Democrats to oppose Pelosi's bid for speaker". Channel 3, WTKR. Tribune Broadcasting. January 4, 2019. Retrieved January 18, 2019.
  46. ^ a b c d e f g Wilson, Patrick (October 27, 2018). "A look at where Brat and Spanberger stand on the issues". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
  47. ^ "House passes resolution to end COVID-19 national emergency". February 2023.
  48. ^ "On Passage - H.J.RES.7: Relating to a national emergency declared by". August 12, 2015.
  49. ^ "Seven Democrats join Republicans in vote to lift vaccine mandate for healthcare workers". January 31, 2023.
  50. ^ "On Passage - H.R.497: To eliminate the COVID-19 vaccine mandate on". August 12, 2015.
  51. ^ Minock, Nick (March 6, 2023). "Va. AG slams Spanberger, Wexton, Beyer and Connolly for approving DC criminal code bill". WJLA. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  52. ^ "House votes to overturn DC criminal code and voting laws". AP NEWS. February 9, 2023. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
  53. ^ Flynn, Meagan (November 11, 2020). "Spanberger sparked a debate about 'defund the police' attacks. Cameron Webb slogged through them". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 3, 2023. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  54. ^ Flynn, Meagan (August 20, 2022). "Spanberger flips the script on policing in race against auxiliary deputy". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on June 2, 2023. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  55. ^ "Spanberger Pushes for Final Progress on USMCA: "We Need to Get this Done"" (Press release). spanberger.house.gov.
  56. ^ "Why these Democrats want to make a trade deal with Trump". Politico.
  57. ^ a b c d Flynn, Meagan. "In a historically Republican stronghold, Democrat Abigail Spanberger looks to hang on". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  58. ^ Mattingly, Justin (May 15, 2020). "Spanberger opposes latest stimulus package, saying it 'goes far beyond pandemic relief'". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  59. ^ a b "Spanberger leads bipartisan effort to save 340B Drug Pricing Program". Augusta Free Press. November 15, 2020. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  60. ^ McCue, Dan (May 3, 2019). "Citing Threats to National Security, Representative Elaine Luria, Va.-2, Takes Climate Change Head On". The WELL. Archived from the original on December 17, 2019. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  61. ^ a b Portnoy, Jenna (February 20, 2019). "Virginia Rep. Abigail Spanberger quizzed on immigration in first town hall". The Washington Post. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
  62. ^ "Cassidy, Whitehouse Reintroduce Bill to Strengthen Revenue Sharing Program" (Press release). February 9, 2024.
  63. ^ "Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher Reintroduces Bipartisan Legislation To Strengthen Coastal Revenue Sharing Program" (Press release). February 9, 2024.
  64. ^ "Seven more lawmakers — including six Democrats — have signed on to a letter pushing Joe Biden to send F-16 jets to Ukraine". Politico. February 21, 2023. Retrieved February 24, 2023.
  65. ^ Sullivan, Heather (January 17, 2020). "Spanberger bill aims to shed light on prescription drug pricing". NBC12. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  66. ^ Christina Marcos (December 21, 2021). "Pelosi faces pushback over stock trade defense". The Hill. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  67. ^ Karl Evers-Hillstrom. (May 11, 2023). "Lawmakers call for markup on stock trading ban before August recess". The Hill website Retrieved May 11, 2023.
  68. ^ "Tracking Congress In The Age Of Trump". FiveThirtyEight. January 30, 2017. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  69. ^ Wasserman, David; Flinn, Ally (April 7, 2017). "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index". The Cook Political Report. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  70. ^ Cisneros, Gil; Cow, Jason; Houlahan, Chrissy; Luria, Elaine; Sherrill, Mikie; Slotkin, Elissa; Spanberger, Abigail (September 23, 2019). "Seven freshman Democrats: These allegations are a threat to all we have sworn to protect". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  71. ^ Ferris, Sarah (December 16, 2019). "Vulnerable Democrats to vote to impeach Trump". Politico. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
  72. ^ a b Edmondson, Catie (June 2, 2020). "Trump's Response to Protests Draws Bipartisan Rebuke in Congress". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on September 27, 2020. Retrieved June 15, 2020. Representative Abigail Spanberger, Democrat of Virginia, a former C.I.A. officer, called his response the type of action 'undertaken by authoritarian regimes throughout the world.'
  73. ^ Greg Miller (June 2, 2020). "CIA veterans who monitored crackdowns abroad see troubling parallels in Trump's handling of protests". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on October 27, 2020. Retrieved June 3, 2020. "As a former CIA officer, I know this playbook," Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) said in a tweet. Before her election to Congress last year, she worked at the agency on issues including terrorism and nuclear proliferation.
  74. ^ Marcy Krelter (June 3, 2020). "George Floyd White House Protest: Donald Trump Acting Like Dictator During Racial Tensions, Intelligence And Defense Officials Warn". International Business Times. Archived from the original on July 5, 2020. Retrieved October 27, 2020. Rep. Abigail Spanberger accuses trump of betraying "the very foundation of the rule of law he purports" to support.
  75. ^ Haltiwanger, John. "Trump's tear gas photo-op was 'frightening' to authoritarianism experts, who warn that his behavior will only get worse without 'fierce opposition'". Business Insider. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  76. ^ Cillizza, Chris (November 4, 2021). "This Democrat thinks Joe Biden fundamentally misunderstood his mandate". CNN. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
  77. ^ John L. Dorman (November 7, 2021). "Moderate Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger says Americans didn't elect Biden to be FDR". Business Insider. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
  78. ^ "2018 June Democratic Primary". Results.elections.virginia.gov. Archived from the original on June 17, 2018. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  79. ^ "House>Votes by District". November 2018 General Election Official Results. Virginia State Board of Elections. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  80. ^ a b "2020 November General". 2020 November General Election Official Results. Virginia State Board of Elections. Archived from the original on February 3, 2021. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  81. ^ Holladay, Hilary (November 2, 2018). "Election 2018: Dave Brat and Abigail Spanberger". Orange County Review. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  82. ^ King, Sarah (May 12, 2019). "Virginia's Future Is Female". richmondmagazine.com. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
  83. ^ "Faith on the Hill: The religious composition of the 116th Congress" (PDF). Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project. January 3, 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 5, 2019. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
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U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Virginia's 7th congressional district

2019–present
Succeeded by
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by United States representatives by seniority
268th
Succeeded by