By Richard Horner

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger held a campaign rally in downtown Culpeper on the evening of March 6.

Held at The Refinery event venue on Main Street, the rally drew nearly 100 people to hear from the former three-term representative of Virginia’s 7th Congressional District. In addition to giving a brief biography of her life and her time in Congress, Spanberger spoke on a number of concerns that residents of the commonwealth had brought to her attention, ranging from education, health care and gun safety, to name a few.

One of those issues mentioned by the candidate was the statewide housing shortage, an issue that has negatively affected the area.

“I know it’s an issue in Culpeper,” she said. “We have extraordinary communities that are drawing them, or they’re drawing folks home to them and we have to ensure that the housing supply is keeping pace with the housing demand because right now the pressure on the market means that far too many people, far too many families, starting out and want to be a homeowner or rent their own place are facing real hurdles when they set out to do that.”

The candidate said there is much the state can do to incentivize growth and affordability for housing. She also promised to solve the problem that took years to build, stating, “We can’t wait years to solve the problem.”

Spanberger also acknowledged the issues of uncertainty facing federal employees of which she said Virginia has the highest number. She said the laying off of federal employees affects local businesses, which lose sales due to those laid off from the federal government staying home and not going out to purchase from those local businesses. The candidate referred to an estimate from the University of Virginia that a 10% cut in the federal workforce for Virginia is a $6 billion loss in economic output for the state.

“Virginia’s economy, the health of our state, is tied intricately and the good work that is happening by so many that are working at the VA (Veterans Affairs), the IRS, the Library of Congress. All throughout our government, as governor I will stand up, not just for the individuals who focus on serving our country in their day-to-day jobs but our whole economy.”

Several who attended commented on the remarks, including local teacher Claire Burris. She felt Spanberger addressed a lot of her concerns like her job and desire to become a homeowner.

“I’ve been concerned by the cuts to the Department of Education, it was very encouraging to hear that would be her very first point. I’m looking to buy a home and I just can’t right now and I’m very interested to hear someone addressing that.”

Another attendee, Alexis Brown, a nurse, was worried about the cuts to Medicaid and Medicare.

“I do believe she (Spanberger) would help with that for Virginians and also the loss of federal jobs and revenue here in Virginia.”

A graduate of the University of Virginia, Spanberger served as a federal agent investigating narcotics and money laundering cases before being recruited by the Central Intelligence Agency where she engaged in investigating issues such as terrorism and nuclear proliferation. After her career, Spanberger entered the private sector and begin getting involved in causes like Moms Demand Action, a grassroots organization endorsing public safety measures to fight gun violence.

Spanberger was inspired to run for office in 2016 and won the seat for the Virginia 7th Congressional District, unseating David Brat. During her time in Congress, Spanberger gained a reputation for working across the aisle in order to pass legislation. This included rural broadband, capping the cost of insulin and reforming aspects of Social Security. She held the seat until early 2025, Virginia’s 7th District is now represented in Congress by Democrat Eugene Vindman.

Libby Wiet, Spanberger’s press secretary, spoke about the campaign’s outreach to voters.

“Since Abigail left Congress earlier this year, we are putting a focus on making sure she’s getting out and listening to people … to Virginians who haven’t heard her speak before, listening to Virginians … that she hasn’t gotten the chance to have conversations with, making sure that while she’s running this year folks are getting to ask her questions, she’s able to listen and take that feedback with her while she’s running to serve them as governor.”

The governor’s race in Virginia has caught the eyes of the nation and Spanberger spoke about the scrutiny the race is under on the national level.

“For me, the focus is on ensuring that I’m working for Virginians, I’m focusing on the issues that matter to them. Whether it’s education, lowering costs, housing shortages and I think that hopefully this race will remind people that in our democracy we get to vote for the people we want to lead whether it’s at the local level, state level, federal level and this year Virginia’s going to have some very vibrant state and local races as well.”