[70], Spanberger is married to Adam Spanberger, and they have three daughters. She is a member of the Democratic Party.Spanberger is a former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer.. Spanberger defeated Republican incumbent Dave Brat in 2018, ending the Republican Party's 36-year hold on the district. She began her career of public service as a federal law enforcement officer working narcotics and money laundering cases with the U.S. He told voters in 1992: ''You cannot be president of the United States if you don't have faith. ", "This Democrat thinks Joe Biden fundamentally misunderstood his mandate Chris Cillizza", "Moderate Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger says Americans didn't elect Biden to be FDR", "Election 2018: Dave Brat and Abigail Spanberger", "Faith on the Hill: The religious composition of the 116th Congress", Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, United States representatives by seniority, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Abigail_Spanberger&oldid=1142575641, This page was last edited on 3 March 2023, at 05:22. For the majority of her time with the agency, her own mother did not know what she was doing for a living.People worry, because people watch Hollywood movies, people dont know how extensive our training is, she said, adding how she wanted to protect her mother from the stress of it all. ABC News Send "GMA" your Why It Matters video about which issues inspires you to vote and explore our midterms coverage. "Abigail Spanberger is . "Now, those battles are behind us we have come out the other side. Spanberger defeated Brat in 2018. "In its attempt to balance safety from contaminated product and safe infant development through formula access, FDA is achieving neither objective," Senator Mitt Romney (R-UT) wrote in a recent letter criticizing both the FDA's oversight efforts and its "near-shutdown" of facilities. "Overall I am not a supporter of the Green New Deal", she said. I've committed adultery in my heart many times. As Rep. Spanberger meets with families, patients, providers, and community healthcare organizations across Virginias Seventh District; she repeatedly hears about the financial struggles facing seniors, families, and those with chronic conditions as their prescription drug costs continue to rise. [35], Spanberger's committee assignments include:[36][37], Some commentators have characterized Spanberger as a centrist Democrat. New delegates to the Virginia Assembly, like Danica Roem, the first openly transgender legislator in the country, made national headlines. Rep. Spanberger is actively focused on advancing legislation that grows the Seventh Districts small businesses, reduces unnecessary regulatory burdens, cuts red tape, and invests in critical physical infrastructure improvements that support growth like expanded broadband internet access. Trading in his role as Dianne Feinsteins legislative director, he moved over to the House, accepting a job as chief of staff for newcomer Abigail Spanberger. [2], Spanberger defeated Republican incumbent Dave Brat in 2018, ending the Republican Party's 36-year hold on the district. "Getting this legislation to President Biden's desk and signed into law was one of my top priorities this . Remember Lincoln, going to his knees in times of trial and the Civil War and all that stuff. Rep. Abigail Spanberger's 2020 Report Card Representative from Virginia's 7th District Democrat Serving Jan 3, 2019 - Jan 3, 2025 These statistics cover Spanberger's record during the 116th Congress (Jan 3, 2019-Jan 3, 2021) and compare her to other representatives also serving at the end of the session. Spanberger is a former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer. [44][45], On January 31, 2023, Spanberger was among seven Democrats to vote for H.R.497:Freedom for Health Care Workers Act, a bill which would lift COVID-19 vaccine mandates for healthcare workers. I really started getting more politically involved after the 2016 election, watching how partisan and how angry our political conversations became, she said. I bowled a 129. [10] In 2017, Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe appointed her to the Virginia Fair Housing Board. It was watching that example that led me to decide that I too wanted to step forward and run.. '', President Bill Clinton cut to the heart of the matter during his grand jury testimony in the Monica Lewinsky affair in 1998 when he infamously said: It all depends on what the meaning of the word is is.. She supports universal coverage through the adoption of a public option and, in Congress, she advocates for solutions that achieve real progress, respond to the unique challenges of Virginias rural communities, support the Commonwealths expansion of Medicaid coverage, and preserve funding for critical programs like the Childrens Health Insurance Plan. In February 2022 Chesterfield mother Shannon Davis and her son, Joshua, appeared with President Joe Biden and Rep. Abigail Spanberger, R-7th, in Culpeper to urge lower prescription drug prices . WASHINGTON A key group of House Democrats in swing seats elected Rep. Abigail Spanberger (Va.) on Tuesday to serve as the first dedicated representative to House Democratic leadership of. It gave me chills. Spanberger knows of what she speaks. Copyright 2023 CQ Roll Call. [50], According to FiveThirtyEight's congressional vote tracker, Spanberger voted with President Donald Trump 6.9% of the timeabout one seventh of the expected tally (49.1%) when factoring in the district's partisan leaning and general partisanship in Congress. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. She decided ultimately to leave the CIA. Spanberger grew up in the district in west of Richmond, Virginia, where she now lives again with her family and is running for office. CQ Roll Call is a part of FiscalNote, the leading technology innovator at the intersection of global business and government. After earning her MBA, Rep. Spanberger began her public service . She added that it "degrades the value of the conversation if we're not actually talking about what the real concern is. Note that the salary index for a given time period does not necessarily reflect exactly who is on staff at the present time. [7] 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. In the longer term, I am pursuing legislation to ensure we dont face this challenge again., Congresswoman: They Ran to the Sound of the Guns WASHINGTON, D.C. U.S. "If we did nothing nothing but implement what we've already passed and let the people know who did it for them, we win," Biden said during an energetic speech Wednesday as House Democrats kicked off their annual three-day retreat in Baltimore. Spanberger is challenging Republican incumbent Dave Brat and the prospect of flipping the seat is a long-shot. Additionally, she has led many bipartisan efforts to hold pharmaceutical companies accountable, increase transparency in the prescription drug marketplace, and prevent shortages by manufacturing essential medicines here at home. examining federal efforts to prevent, detect, and prosecute pandemic relief fraud to safeguard funds for all eligible americans She is working in the U.S. House to find additional ways to support military families as their loved ones serve abroad and as they eventually transition to civilian life. [48][49], In May 2020, Spanberger voted against the HEROES Act, a proposed $3 trillion stimulus package in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Her top priorities include strengthening our countrys national security and fighting for Virginia families by lowering prescription drug costs, creating jobs, and cleaning up Washington. They live in Glen Allen, Virginia. That's especially true now as lawmakers demand answers about classified documents found in the private possession of two presidents and the Biden administration's response to a suspected Chinese spy balloon. [7], In 2006, Spanberger joined the Central Intelligence Agency as an operations officer. And being the one to go out and get the answers.. A former federal law enforcement officer and CIA officer, Rep. Spanbergers career in public service has focused on protecting American families and economic interests from a wide range of domestic and foreign threats. Spanberger faced a close reelection contest against State Delegate Nick Freitas, who represents much of the congressional district's northern portion. Barbara Sprunt is a producer on NPR's Washington desk, where she reports and produces breaking news and feature political content. [40][41] 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. But as a former spy for the Central Intelligence Agency, her life has been anything but typical. "Most of the intelligence community doesn't understand Congress and most of Congress doesn't understand the intelligence community.. Lyndon B. Johnson once had this to say about Gerald Ford: Gerry Ford is so dumb he can't fart and chew gum at the same time. Ford was a congressional leader while Johnson was president. [68], 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. Abigail and her husband Adam are parents to three daughters. During a recent debate, Brat repeatedly accused Spanberger of being a Nancy Pelosi-style Democrat and too liberal for the district. Abigail Spanberger has served as the Democratic congresswoman for Virginia's 7th Congressional District since 2019. It may not be having the Cabinet or the president in your district every other week," New Hampshire Rep. Ann Kuster told NPR. Proudly Serving Virginias Seventh District. Occupation. Addressing the Opioid Abuse & Addiction Epidemic After eight years, Spanberger had several choices for her next posting, from Kenya to Costa Rica. She had briefly worked for the USPS on an inspection team, investigating narcotics and money laundering cases. The next four years she was evaluated, physically and physiologically, and began to train for life undercover.I loved the idea of understanding people, places, concepts, concerns and large international questions, she said, describing her work. Message: I care. She favors requiring background checks on private gun sales and supported a ban on bump stocks. When she saw partisan politics and division threatening the country she dedicated her life to defend, Abigail decided to run for Congress. A vote for my opponent will be a vote for the Nancy Pelosi liberal agenda, he said. Lowering Prescription Drug Costs Spanbergers career took her around the globe. She believes in stabilizing the Affordable Care Act and preserving its protections for the more than 1.3 million Virginians with pre-existing conditions. After years of working for an incumbent senator holding a safe seat, Roscoe Jones Jr. was ready to build something from scratch. "[43] During a Committee on Foreign Affairs meeting in 2019, Spanberger asked the Trump administration to reverse its isolationist policies, saying, "its in [the US's] national interest to reinforce our stature as a global leader on international environmental and energy issues.