Virginia 7: No Such Thing as an Easy Race for Republicans
It’s becoming a familiar story: many of Republicans’ best House takeover opportunities are represented by some of Democrats’ strongest new incumbents. Virginia’s 7th District is a great example.
All eyes were on central Virginia earlier this week when more than 20,000 gun-rights protesters descended on Richmond in opposition to legislation that would restrict access to firearms. While that rally ended peacefully, the focus on the capital region will pick back up as Republicans focus on defeating Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger.
The race has a little bit of everything, including a competitive race for the GOP nomination between multiple military veterans and a single, working mom who runs a non-profit. It will be a test of Democrats’ ability to localize a race in a presidential year. And it will all take place in a district that is divided between suburban and rural communities.
Even as the commonwealth is shifting toward Democrats, winning back at least a House seat or two in Virginia is critical to GOP chances of regaining the House majority. Defeating Spanberger in a Republican-leaning district is as close to a must-win race as it gets for the GOP this cycle.
It’s almost hard to believe that in less than a decade, the district was easily re-electing the Republican majority leader followed by a founding member of the House Freedom Caucus. Now the Richmond-area seat will potentially re-elect a Democratic woman who serves in the majority in Washington.
The…
