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Government | Politics | Lobbying 2025: ABIGAIL SPANBERGER
GUBERNATORIAL NOMINEE, DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF VIRGINIA, HENRICO COUNTY
Virginia Business //September 1, 2025//
Government | Politics | Lobbying 2025: ABIGAIL SPANBERGER
GUBERNATORIAL NOMINEE, DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF VIRGINIA, HENRICO COUNTY
Virginia Business //September 1, 2025//
Spanberger first became a household name in 2018, when she narrowly defeated incumbent U.S. Rep. Dave Brat to flip control of a longtime Republican stronghold in Central Virginia. Today, having served three terms in Congress, she is running to become Virginia’s first female governor.
A former CIA officer and U.S. Postal Inspection Service law enforcement officer, Spanberger has forged a reputation as a moderate Democrat, being ranked the state’s most bipartisan member of Congress by The Lugar Center and Georgetown University. In 2024, she did not seek re-election.
So far, Spanberger has been significantly ahead of her GOP opponent, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, in polling and fundraising. In the second quarter, Spanberger raised $10.7 million, a quarterly record for a Virginia candidate for statewide office.
Despite a fairly smooth path to the nomination, Spanberger faced pushback from Virginia progressives over her moderate record in Congress. She is focusing largely on kitchen table issues on the campaign trail, including ending car taxes and lowering household energy bills.
