Democrat Abigail Spanberger Ousts Dave Brat in Virginia

(Bloomberg) -- Democrat Abigail Spanberger defeated two-term GOP incumbent Dave Brat in a traditionally Republican district that stretches from the outskirts of Richmond to the rural counties south of Washington’s growing suburbs, according to ABC and CBS.

Spanberger, a former CIA operative, ran on a moderate platform emphasizing health-care access and national security. She pledged to not vote for Nancy Pelosi as speaker and fended off misleading attacks from Republican-aligned groups during the campaign. Her victory in the commonwealth’s 7th district adds one more member to the ranks of moderate Democrats that could help shape the party ahead of the 2020 presidential election.

Brat is a prominent Tea Party Republican who came to Congress after knocking off then-Majority Leader Eric Cantor in a primary.

To contact the reporter on this story: Anna Edgerton in Washington at aedgerton@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Kevin Whitelaw at kwhitelaw@bloomberg.net, Vivek Shankar, Laura Curtis

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