Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger narrowly held onto her seat in Virginia on Tuesday, defeating Republican Yesli Vega in a contest each events noticed as an early bellwether within the battle for the Home.
NBC Information has not but projected the end result in a second carefully watched Virginia race, the place Democratic Rep. Elaine Luria was battling Republican state Sen. Jen Kiggans.
However the political survival of Spanberger, a distinguished participant among the many small band of reasonable Blue Canine Democrats, counted as a welcome burst of excellent information for Democrats comparatively early on election evening.
Spanberger, who typically criticized progressives’ technique after which voted with them on the Home flooring, was a face and voice of the 2018 Democratic class of freshman whose midterm victories put their occasion within the majority for 4 years. She made waves after the 2020 election when she blamed her occasion’s left flank for losses within the Home, arguing that calls to “defund” law enforcement price seats.
Vega, a member of the Prince William board of county supervisors, served as a police officer earlier than getting into politics. Like many Republicans throughout the nation, she hit the Democratic incumbent on inflation and crime.
The leads to Virginia, a state that favored the Democrat within the final 4 presidential elections however simply elected Republican Glenn Youngkin governor final yr, signaled better-than-expected power for Democrats in swing districts.
