Former Republican Representative Denver Riggleman endorsed Representative Abigail Spanberger (D-VA-07) and appeared in a new ad touting Spanberger’s moderate stance. The Republican Party of Virginia (RPV) fired back, saying that Spanberger is “trying to burnish the false veneer of bipartisanship.”
“In Congress, the parties sit apart and don’t work together – except for Abigail Spanberger,” Riggleman says in the ad. “She’s trying to change Congress and make it work.”
Riggleman says Spanberger, a former CIA officer, puts her country first. “That’s why I support Abigail.”
On Tuesday, the RPV issued a press release without naming Riggleman, who was primaried in 2020 by now-Congressman Bob Good (R-VA-05). Since he left office, Riggleman became increasingly critical of the Republican Party and former President Donald Trump, and has advised the House of Representatives select committee investigating the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol. He also recently surprised legislators by announcing the “The Breach,” a book not authorized by the committee and providing a behind-the-scenes look at the committee and details about White House communications during the riot, according to The Washington Post and the book’s Amazon summary.
“In the closing days of her failed campaign for Congress, Abigail Spanberger has reached the point of desperation at which she has to turn to a former Congressman who announced in June to a nationwide audience on Jake Tapper’s State of the Union that he is ‘no longer a Republican,'” the RPV said.
Republicans have nominated Yesli Vega, who has consistently attacked Spanberger’s claims to be a moderate.
“In reality, Spanberger is no moderate and is instead a hyper-partisan extremist with anger-management issues and votes with Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi 100 percent of the time,” the RPV said, citing an incident where Spanberger cursed at Good after he made comments about Democrats and transgender policy.
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Eric Burk is a reporter at The Virginia Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Abigail Spanberger” by Abigail Spanberger.
