Former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate in Virginia, is portraying herself as a centrist ahead of a competitive race to replace Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) in November.
But one women’s rights group believes the former representative’s voting record during her time in Congress reflects an “extreme, anti-woman” agenda. Independent Women’s Voice launched a campaign this week to educate Virginia voters on Spanberger’s Democratic record.
In her latest campaign ad, Spanberger claims to have stood up to both parties while in Congress, and she touts how she was once labeled the most bipartisan member of Congress from Virginia.
The Sunlight Campaign, which challenges that narrative, features several radio ads airing across Virginia via iHeartRadio. The ads call Spanberger an “Anti-Woman Candidate.”
Carrie Sheffield, a senior policy analyst at Independent Women’s Voice, spoke exclusively to the Washington Examiner about why starting this campaign was so important to her as a Virginia voter, resident, and homeowner.
“She’s trying to portray herself as pro-woman,” Sheffield said.
But Sheffield noted that Spanberger’s time in Congress does not align with the record of a feminist. “She voted against protecting women’s sports. This is dangerous. It creates serious physical injuries. It creates situations in locker rooms that invade privacy, and she’s on the wrong side of this.”
A Wick Insights poll found 83% of the public said it is wrong to have men in women’s sports. This includes 76% of Democratic voters and 78% of female voters, who agree it is important to separate the sexes when it comes to athletics.
“She, overall, has an extremist voting record,” Sheffield said. “When you look at her time in Congress, she had only a 5% voting record, according to Heritage Action.”
Heritage Action scorecards rank the conservatism of Congress members based on their votes in the House and Senate. The average House Democrat has a score of 10%. Spanberger scored half the average at 5%. She left Congress to run for governor after serving two terms representing her swing district in northern Virginia.
“She’s an extremist,” Sheffield said. “If Abigail Spanberger does claim to be a moderate, she’s lying.”
Spanberger also failed the Riley Gaines Stand with Women Scorecard, which scores Congress members on whether they support legislation preserving female opportunities and private spaces. Former collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines, who had to compete against transgender woman Lia Thomas and rose to national prominence through her public speaking on the experience, started the grading system. IWF calls it “a first-of-its-kind resource that tells every American who Stands with Women and who does not.”
Sheffield highlighted examples of Spanberger’s positions on gender.
“Even during Women’s History Month, she supported Trans Visibility Day, which, in many ways, is an assault on the rights of women,” she said. “Title IX was a legendary piece of legislation. It allowed access to sports and equal opportunity for girls and women. Everything Abigail Spanberger stands for would erode this.”
Conservative critics are concerned about more than Spanberger’s record on gender. During her time in Congress, she also voted in line with former President Joe Biden on the economy, energy, and immigration.
“She voted against the Laken Riley Act, which would protect and make sure illegal aliens are being deported,” Sheffield noted. “When you’re talking about economics, she did all of the bills that Joe Biden wanted that increased inflation that was so painful for families in Virginia and all over the country. You had record inflation under Joe Biden, 20% cumulative, hadn’t been seen in a generation. Abigail Spanberger is pro-inflation. Abigail Spanberger is pro-hurting families at the kitchen table.”
Spanberger became the Democratic nominee for the off-year gubernatorial race in April. She is set to face off against Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears in the Nov. 4 Virginia gubernatorial election.
Earle-Sears is the first black woman to be elected to a Virginia statewide office and the commonwealth’s first female lieutenant governor. Still, the race has been an uphill battle for Earle-Sears, even with Youngkin’s endorsement. She was on her way to winning her party’s nomination when her momentum was blunted by two MAGA Republicans who jumped into the race, and she is getting outraised by her Democratic opponent by more than double.
What’s more, former Vice President Kamala Harris won Virginia last year by more than 200,000 votes. And while that result was closer than expected, it still revealed the advantage Democrats have due to the high concentration of Democratic voters in the heavily populated areas outside Washington, D.C.
Spanberger reported raising $6.7 million during the first three months of 2025, more than double the $3.1 million raised by Earle-Sears, according to an analysis by the Virginia Public Access Project.
While the Sunlight Campaign is not supporting a specific Republican gubernatorial candidate, Sheffield said Virginia cannot go back to Democratic rule.
“We believe [Spanberger’s] policies would be dangerous for Virginians,” Sheffield said. “I’m also the chapter president for Independent Women’s Network here in Virginia. [Our members] have been so excited to see what’s happened under Gov. Youngkin. We have a lot of mothers, people who have children in public schools in Virginia, and Youngkin has been able to remediate some of that, which is great. We just can’t go back.”
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Sheffield said the Sunlight Campaign also plans to hold events with Gaines and Youngkin before the election to educate voters on Spanberger’s policies.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Spanberger’s campaign for comment.
Barnini Chakraborty and Mabinty Quarshie contributed to this report.
