RICHMOND, VA – The Virginia GOP is taking aim at Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a New Jersey native, after resurfacing a 2019 post in which she called gerrymandering “detrimental to our democracy.” The party accused Spanberger of hypocrisy, claiming she now supports her party’s redistricting efforts in Virginia, which Republicans have labeled a “gerrymandering crusade.”
The GOP highlighted Spanberger’s old tweet reacting to a Supreme Court decision in Virginia House of Delegates v. Bethune-Hill, in which the justices ruled that Virginia legislators lacked standing to appeal a lower-court order requiring the redrawing of 11 districts due to racial gerrymandering. “Opposing gerrymandering should be a bipartisan priority,” Spanberger wrote at the time, calling the decision “good news for Virginia and the country.”
Republican officials now argue that Spanberger’s recent comments expressing full support for the latest Democratic-led redistricting measures contradict her earlier stance. “Newly resurfaced post shows Abigail Spanberger calling gerrymandering ‘detrimental to our democracy,’” the state GOP wrote on social media. “Now Fake Moderate Abby says she’s ‘100%’ behind Democrats’ gerrymandering crusade in Virginia.”
Spanberger, who has long positioned herself as a political centrist, has not yet publicly responded to the renewed criticism. The redistricting debate comes amid heightened partisan tension in Virginia, where both parties have accused each other of manipulating district maps for political gain.
Key Points: Virginia GOP slams Abigail Spanberger over resurfaced gerrymandering tweet – Richmond
- Virginia Republicans accuse Rep. Abigail Spanberger of hypocrisy over past anti-gerrymandering remarks
- The criticism follows a resurfaced 2019 tweet praising a Supreme Court ruling on racial redistricting
- Spanberger has not commented on the GOP’s claims linking her to current Democratic redistricting efforts