Abigail Spanberger wins reelection in bellwether Virginia seventh district, NBC Information initiatives

Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger has been reelected to the Home in Virginia’s seventh District, defeating Republican Yesli Vega, NBC Information projected.

The central Virginia district was extensively thought-about a litmus check for a way Democrats may fare in swing districts throughout an election cycle that traditionally favors Republicans. The GOP got here into Election Day closely favored to win Home management, however Spanberger’s swing district was seen as a vital one for Democrats to carry to be able to curb their losses.

Spanberger, a former CIA agent, was first elected to Congress in 2018, successful a seat in a district that features Richmond suburbs which might be usually pleasant to Democrats.

However redistricting in 2020 shifted Spanberger’s district north to the outer suburbs of Washington D.C., the place the citizens is 20% Latino and voters are extra socially conservative than in her present district.

The brand new district additionally consists of extra of Prince William County, the place Vega is a county supervisor and an auxiliary deputy within the county sheriff’s workplace. If she had been elected, Vega would even be the primary Latina from Virginia in Congress.

Endorsed by former President Donald Trump, Vega is a relative political newcomer who defeated a number of higher identified Republicans to clinch the GOP nomination in June.

Spanberger ran a marketing campaign interesting to average Republicans and impartial voters, and distancing herself from the nationwide Democratic Get together and from President Joe Biden, whose nationwide approval scores are within the low 40s.

Spanberger additionally made abortion rights a central a part of her marketing campaign, contrasting herself from Vega, who supported the Supreme Courtroom’s choice to overturn Roe v. Wade.

The race was one of many nation’s most costly Home races, with greater than $20 million pouring in from nationwide get together committees and out of doors PACs. Vega and Spanberger every confronted roughly $7.5 million of unfavourable advert spending funded by outdoors teams, based on the nonprofit Open Secrets and techniques, which tracks marketing campaign spending.