{"id":36561,"date":"2020-10-26T21:57:36","date_gmt":"2020-10-26T21:57:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/10\/26\/2-democrats-with-national-security-experience-vie-for-reelection-in-virginia\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T19:28:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T19:28:09","slug":"2-democrats-with-national-security-experience-vie-for-reelection-in-virginia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2020\/10\/26\/2-democrats-with-national-security-experience-vie-for-reelection-in-virginia\/","title":{"rendered":"2 Democrats with national security experience vie for reelection in Virginia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

NORFOLK, Va. \u2014 Elaine Luria and Abigail Spanberger were part of a historic wave of women who helped Democrats retake the U.S. House in 2018. And when they got to Washington, both established themselves as party moderates willing to work with Republicans on legislation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But their reelection bids are far from guaranteed. They\u2019re wooing voters in Republican-drawn districts that supported Donald Trump, a president they voted to impeach. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both races are a top priority for Democrats and are among the country\u2019s more competitive contests this year. While the congresswomen may be lesser known than more liberal colleagues, such as New York\u2019s Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, they\u2019re testing the reach of the Democratic Party\u2019s center. The Cook Political Report rates Luria\u2019s 2nd District and Spanberger\u2019s 7th District \u2014 both of which flipped from red to blue two years ago \u2014 as \u201clean Democratic.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf they were to lose, it would be a sign that 2018 was an aberration and that, fundamentally, these districts still have more Republican DNA,\u201d said David Wasserman, the U.S. House editor for the report. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several million dollars have poured into the campaigns, including from outside interest groups, according to the Virginia Public Access Project. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luria, a former Navy commander<\/a>, and Spanberger, a former CIA operations officer, are part of a group of first-term congresswomen whose national security experience helped build support for impeachment. Nonetheless, both stress their commitment to other issues that are crucial to voters, including the government\u2019s response to the coronavirus pandemic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Luria said she doesn\u2019t think impeachment is going to be \u201ca deciding issue.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot for any swing voters who are worried about health care, the economy or the environment,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\t