Virginia Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger is leaving office after six years in Washington, declining another term to instead set her sights on Richmond.
Spanberger says she’s proud of the bipartisan work she’s done since entering office in 2019, getting bills signed by both former president Donald Trump and President Joe Biden. But she admits much of that work may have flown under the radar.
She has a laundry list of accomplishments: Returning millions of dollars to constituents, passing laws to aid widows with social security benefits and bringing billions to the Commonwealth via Biden’s infrastructure bill.
Another effort is the Summer Barrow Prevention, Treatment, & Recovery Act. Named after the daughter of a constituent who died from a drug overdose, Spanberger says it will bring millions to support those facing drug abuse disorders.
“Somebody else’s child who's struggling will get what they need because of that bill," she said. "They may never know the genesis, but they don’t need to.”
Spanberger says she intends to highlight those bipartisan accomplishments, especially for folks who may not know about them, once she gets on the campaign trail for next year’s gubernatorial race.
“Being laser focused on many different things and being a bit of a broken record until we get it done, I think is certainly how I will continue to campaign and how I will ultimately continue to govern," she said. "I think that quintessential to all of it is making sure people know what you’re for”
Spanberger, barring a primary from Newport News Congressman Bobby Scott, is likely to face off against Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears. At a recent stop in Richmond, Earle-Sears said the two candidates weren’t enemies, but stressed she has her own record to run on dating back to her single term in the House of Delegates about 20 years ago.
“It’s not what I’m against, it's what I’m for. And if we’re talking about getting bills through, I did get quite a few through in my rookie year,” Sears said.
Virginia will elect its next governor in November 2025.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
