One of the tightest Congressional races in Virginia is in the 7th District - where Republican incumbent Dave Brat is facing a challenge from former CIA agent Abigail Spanberger. The two met for their first debate Monday night in Culpeper.
Republican Dave Brat is a former economics professor, so it’s no surprise that the economy dominated the night.
The line that dominated the night was “Nancy Pelosi’s liberal agenda.” Brat threw it out in almost every answer.
“So what we don’t want to do is revert to the Nancy Pelosi liberal agenda,” Brat said. “That is a policy of economic growth failure and wage stagnation for forty years.”
Brat says the economy is booming, unemployment rates are at all time lows, and it’s thanks to Republican policies and tax cuts. Spanberger says those benefits are limited though -- primarily to corporations and the wealthy.
“So if we want to continue to grow our economy we need comprehensive tax reform. But it needs to start with the middle class,” Spanberger says. “Because having a strong middle class is how we continue to grow our economy and our communities.”
This could be the only debate in this closely watched race. The Brat campaign hasn’t committed to a second one.
The entire debate can be seen here.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
