Abigail Spanberger Announces 2025 Run for Virginia Governor (original) (raw)
Politics|Spanberger Announces Run for Governor in Virginia, Leaving House Seat in Play
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/13/us/politics/abigail-spanberger-virginia-governor.html
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Spanberger Announces Run for Governor in Virginia, Leaving House Seat in Play
The centrist Democrat helped deliver her party the House majority in 2018, and her decision to seek higher office could make it more difficult for Democrats to reclaim control in 2024.
Representative Abigail Spanberger is seen as among the strongest Democratic contenders to succeed Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican who is term-limited.Credit...Greg Kahn for The New York Times
Nov. 13, 2023
Representative Abigail Spanberger, a prominent Virginia Democrat who was repeatedly able to win in a conservative-leaning district, announced on Monday that she would run for governor in 2025, leaving open a competitive seat that could be crucial to her party’s efforts to win back control of the House next year.
Ms. Spanberger, 44, is seen as among the strongest Democratic contenders to succeed Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican who is term-limited. Her decision not to seek re-election to Congress leaves House Democrats scrambling to hold a seat that is regularly in play for both parties.
“Virginia is where I grew up, where I am raising my own family and where I intend to build a stronger future for the next generation of Virginians,” Ms. Spanberger said in a statement.
Ms. Spanberger is the first candidate to announce a run for Virginia governor. Her early announcement is intended to allow a successor to build a campaign for the 2024 House race, which Democrats believe would provide a more favorable electorate than a special election.
But House Republicans said their odds of claiming the seat improved substantially with Ms. Spanberger’s planned exit, pointing to it as the latest example of a Democrat in a competitive seat choosing to run for higher office rather than remain in the House.
Other examples include Representatives Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and Katie Porter of California, both of whom are pursuing Senate seats.
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