Democratic newcomer Abigail Spanberger knocked off incumbent Rep. Dave Brat (R-Va.) on Tuesday night, dealing a blow to House Republicans and President TrumpDonald John TrumpSenate advances public lands bill in late-night vote Warren, Democrats urge Trump to back down from veto threat over changing Confederate-named bases Esper orders ‘After Action Review’ of National Guard’s role in protests MORE.
Brat has been a close Trump ally and received an endorsement from the president just days ago. He also had been seen as a future leader of the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus.
But the energy was on Spanberger’s side. The former CIA agent raised a whopping $3.6 million in the third quarter, three times as much as Brat. And recent polling showed Brat and Spanberger in a dead heat even though Trump had won the 7th district by 6 percentage points in 2016 and Brat trounced his Democratic opponent by 15 points that year.
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National media outlets have flocked to the district, which includes some Richmond suburbs and rural swaths of central Virginia.
Spanberger, 39, will likely join the moderate Blue Dog Coalition in the House. She has previously said she’ll work with Trump on areas of agreement.
Brat, a former economics professor at Randolph-Macon College, is no stranger to surprise upsets. He first garnered national media attention in 2014 when he defeated then-Majority Leader Eric CantorEric Ivan CantorTrump taps pollster to push back on surveys showing Biden with double-digit lead Bottom Line The Democrats’ strategy conundrum: a ‘movement’ or a coalition? MORE (R-Va.) in his GOP primary. It’s considered one of the greatest political upsets in congressional history.
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