Spanberger beats back GOP challenge in Virginia bellwether race

Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) was projected to win reelection in Virginia’s 7th Congressional District, fending off a competitive Republican challenge in a key bellwether state.

CNN and NBC called the race.

Spanberger, a former CIA official, defeated Republican Yesli Vega, a member of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors and a former police officer, in a race that Cook Political Report rated a “toss up.” The nonpartisan election handicapper briefly moved the race from a “toss up” to “lean Democratic” in early September, but reverted it back in late October.

Tuesday’s win secures Spanberger, a moderate Democrat, a third term in Congress, and marks the third time she narrowly won her congressional race. In both 2018 and 2020, she clinched victories by no more than 3 percentage points. Her district this year had a +2 Democratic lean, according to FiveThirtyEight.

“Thank you, VA-07. We did it!” Spanberger wrote on Twitter Tuesday night.

Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) won her reelection race after a highly competitive race against Republican Yesli Vega. (Greg Nash)

The race made national headlines this cycle in part for its focus on election denialism, which was a key theme in several down-ballot races across the country. It also was seen as a possible harbinger for a red wave if Spanberger had lost.

Vega, whom former President Trump endorsed, has cast doubt on the results of the 2020 presidential election, previously claiming that evidence “continues to come out that indicates that the election of 2020 was interfered with,” but refusing to go as far as to say that she believed the race was stolen. VPM obtained the audio of the forum where she made those comments.

In an interview with The Washington Post, however, the candidate acknowledged that President Biden is “the president of the United States” when asked if he was legitimately elected, refusing to give a yes or no answer. She also said “the American people elected” Biden.

Those factors drove Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) to the district, where she officially threw her support behind Spanberger.

The Wyoming Republican — who lost her reelection primary this summer to a Trump-backed challenger who has said the 2020 race was rigged against the ex-president — said she was endorsing Spanberger despite their deep policy differences.

“We don’t agree on every policy, but I am absolutely certain that Abigail is dedicated to serving this country and her constituents and defending our Constitution,” Cheney said in a statement. “Abigail’s opponent is promoting conspiracy theories, denying election outcomes she disagrees with, and defending the indefensible.”

Vega signaled her support for former President Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was stolen, spurring Rep. Liz Cheney to endorse Spanberger. (Greg Nash)

Vega, on her part, had largely stayed away from discussing Trump on the campaign trail, as noted by The Washington Post. The former president is unpopular in the Virginia suburbs, which was a large driving factor behind the 2018 blue wave that elected Spanberger to Congress, the outlet reported.

Vega downplayed his endorsement in the waning day of the election, according to the Post. The strategy is similar to that of Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), who flipped the commonwealth’s governorship last year after steering clear of mentioning Trump.

Spanberger may be a thorn in Democratic leadership’s side in the next Congress. Shortly before the House broke for recess in September, the Virginia congresswoman released a scathing statement calling for new leaders in the lower chamber.

She made the rallying cry after House Democratic leadership scrapped plans to vote on a bill to ban lawmaker stock trading.

“This moment marks a failure of House leadership — and it’s yet another example of why I believe that the Democratic Party needs new leaders in the halls of Capitol Hill, as I have long made known,” Spanberger said in the statement.

“Rather than bring Members of Congress together who are passionate about this issue, leadership chose to ignore these voices, push them aside, and look for new ways they could string the media and the public along — and evade public criticism,” she added.

Updated at 10:52 p.m.