Get to Know Abigail Spanberger

Who is Abigail Spanberger? Short answer: She’s a former CIA Case Officer who also served America as a Congresswoman. Her current goal is to become the next Governor of Virginia.

The more you peel back the layers of Abigail Spanberger, the more you discover about what she’ll bring to the table as Virginia’s next governor. Her CIA and congressional experience combine with her roles as devoted mother and wife to create a powerhouse candidate who wants nothing but the best for her home state of Virginia.

A candidate guided by Virginia values

Spanberger’s values evolved from her family of origin:

Abigail’s parents raised her to believe in service: service to country and service to others. Her father served in the U.S. Army, went to school on the G.I. Bill, and became a career law enforcement officer. Her mother spent her early years in foster care, put herself through nursing school, and worked tirelessly — late nights and weekends — to care for her patients.

They set an example of service and hard work for Abigail and her two younger sisters. Abigail attended Virginia public schools, graduating from J.R. Tucker High School in Henrico County and receiving her bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia. She earned her MBA from a dual-degree program between Purdue University and the GISMA business school in Germany.

Career accomplishments

Inspired by her father’s law enforcement career, Spanberger joined the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. While there, she “worked federal narcotics and money laundering cases,…investigated child predators, and arrested narcotics traffickers.” She also has experience serving search and arrest warrants.

As a CIA Case Officer, Spanberger dedicated herself to “one mission: protect and serve the United States of America.” Her job involved:

• working undercover to understand the threats facing the United States
• helping to prevent terrorist attacks
• countering the proliferation of nuclear weapons
• tracking transnational criminal organizations

The Congressional years: Spanberger’s key legislative achievements

When the healthcare of hundreds of thousands of Virginians was threatened, Spanberger ran for Congress. Her victory included a historic first when she “became the first Democrat elected to serve Virginia’s Seventh District in the U.S. House in more than 50 years and the first woman to ever represent the district.”

As a freshman congressperson, she served on the House Committee on Agriculture to best serve her majority agricultural and landmass district. She also brought her experience in national security to her work on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Along the way, she “built bipartisan coalitions.” According to her website,

Abigail was ranked as the most bipartisan Member of Congress from Virginia. She led bipartisan efforts that were signed into law to prevent fentanyl overdoses, protect Virginia’s natural resources, and support Virginia’s Veterans. In 2022, the Washington Post editorial board said that Abigail “sponsored no-nonsense bipartisan legislation”

Spanberger is known for getting things done: “In her six years in Congress, Spanberger was the primary sponsor for 20 bills signed into law….” Some of these are laws that

• lowered health care costs and prescription drug prices
• support people facing addiction and combat the flow of fentanyl across our southern border
• invested billions of dollars in Virginia to upgrade its roads, rail, bridges, and electrical grid
• closed a loophole that was preventing retired police officers and firefighters from accessing promised health care assistance
• expanded health care benefits for thousands of Virginia veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange, burn pits, and other toxins during their service

Her record led the Center for Effective Lawmaking to rank her as the most effective Member of Congress on agricultural issues.

Want to know more? Read Spanberger’s Richmond-Times Dispatch op-ed in which she reflected on her six years in Congress.

Spanberger’s vision for Virginia

If elected as Governor, Spanberger has pledged to

• make Virginia more affordable
• fight for hardworking Virginia families
• make Virginia’s economy work for struggling Virginians
• focus on strengthening public schools
• keep Virginia communities safe
• protecting Virginians’ fundamental rights

Learn more about the values that drive Spanberger’s public service and would shape her goals as governor.

Putting Virginians first

With Washington D.C. in chaos, Virginia needs a governor who will put Virginians first.

Abigail Spanberger is laser focused on solving the real challenges Virginians face. That includes lowering the cost of groceries, healthcare, housing, and energy. She’ll also stand up to protect Virginians as well as their jobs, their public schools, and their reproductive freedom.

As Governor, Spanberger will put people over politics and Virginians over President Trump. In these divisive times, she has the experience, the plan, and the wisdom to bring the Commonwealth together and lead it to a stronger future.