Spanberger announces run for governor of Virginia

In a move that had been anticipated for months, Democratic Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger announced Monday that she will forego the chance at a fourth term in the U.S. House of Representatives next year and instead will run for governor of Virginia.

Spanberger, who was raised in western Henrico and is a graduate of Tucker High School, has represented Virginia’s Seventh District in Congress since 2019. The district initially included the county’s western half, but redistricting shifted its boundaries into Northern Virginia.

Spanberger will seek the Democratic nomination for the governor’s seat, where she is expected to face competition from several candidates, including Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney. Virginians will elect a new governor in November 2025.

“As a former CIA case officer, former federal law enforcement officer, and current member of Congress, I have always believed in the value of public service,” Spanberger said in a statement announcing her intentions. “I look forward to serving the Seventh District through the end of this term and then pursuing the important work of bringing Virginia together to keep our commonwealth strong.”

Spanberger has positioned herself as a moderate Democrat and last year was ranked as the fifth-most bipartisan member of the U.S. House of Representatives by the Lugar Center and Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy. In 2021, she was ranked the ninth-most bipartisan member of the House.

In a campaign video she issued Monday, Spanberger cited her work to provide veterans and small businesses with necessary support and assisting families and communities dealing with addiction as evidence of her mantra that “to get things done, people must come first.”

“Because when we rise above the chaos and division, we can focus on what matters most to Virginians: lowering prescription drug prices, growing the middle class, lowering costs, and easing inflation. No more using teachers and our kids as political pawns — it’s about focusing on recruiting and retaining teachers, so all of our kids can succeed. And stopping extremists from shredding women’s reproductive rights.”

Spanberger currently serves on the U.S. House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the U.S. House Agriculture Committee.

Before Congress, Spanberger served as a federal law enforcement officer — tracking narcotics traffickers and working money laundering cases — and as a CIA case officer — working undercover on counterterrorism and nuclear counterproliferation cases. She and her husband, Adam, have three school-aged daughters.

Competition for Spanberger’s Seventh District seat, from both parties, is expected to be significant.