OPINION:
Since her first election in 2018, Abigail Spanberger has built her political brand on ambiguity. She has carefully crafted an image as a pragmatic moderate — a reasonable voice who can bridge the partisan divide. If you have been paying attention, however, her record tells a very different story. During her recent debate with Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, Ms. Spanberger’s silence finally revealed the truth that words could no longer disguise.
Ms. Spanberger first entered Congress amid the anti-Trump wave of 2018, a midterm dominated by outrage and resentment. She portrayed herself as a former CIA officer ready to bring integrity back to Washington, but that campaign was more about political theater than transparency. Her victory came not from policy clarity but from casting her opponent, Dave Brat, as a caricature — a misogynist and extremist — while presenting herself as the calm alternative for suburban professionals.
Since then, she has followed the same formula: Paint Republicans as racist, sexist and dangerous while pretending to be the voice of reason. Yet when it comes to moments that demand true moral courage, Ms. Spanberger consistently chooses silence.
When her colleague in Congress, Rep. Ilhan Omar, Minnesota Democrat, made antisemitic remarks, Ms. Spanberger said nothing. When parents across Virginia rose up against divisive education policies, such as critical race theory and gender ideology in schools, Ms. Spanberger said nothing. She also failed to speak up for the Indian students whose academic achievements were downplayed or for girls, whose privacy and safety in locker rooms were compromised.
Ms. Spanberger’s silence was deafening again on the debate stage next to Ms. Earle-Sears. Ms. Spanberger wouldn’t look the lieutenant governor in the eye, say her name or answer basic questions about political violence or protecting women’s sports. When asked whether she still supported an attorney general candidate who once said he would like to shoot and kill an opponent and the opponent’s children, Ms. Spanberger stood stone-faced. When asked whether she would defend girls’ rights to fair competition and privacy, she offered nothing.
That silence speaks volumes.
I decided to run for Congress myself after Ms. Spanberger’s first election. I saw firsthand how she was handpicked by the Democratic establishment, not as a grassroots candidate but as a carefully chosen figurehead for a broader ideological agenda. Although I believed anyone could run and compete, I learned quickly that in today’s political machinery, candidates are often selected long before voters have a say.
Ms. Spanberger’s political ambitions have always been clear. She once told a fellow congressman from Virginia that her goal was to become governor, but her ambitions have run into a problem this year. She is up against a woman who embodies everything Ms. Spanberger pretends to be: strong, accomplished and principled. Ms. Earle-Sears has led with conviction, not calculation. She has delivered for Virginians instead of dodging them.
Now, Ms. Spanberger can’t play the usual cards. She can’t call Ms. Earle-Sears a racist, a misogynist or a bigot, and without that playbook, she has nothing left but silence.
For years, Ms. Spanberger has masqueraded as a suburban mom who understands our struggles, but she has never stood up for parents, girls or Virginians who just want fairness and common sense restored. She has stood up only for her party and for her own career.
True moral courage isn’t impeaching a political opponent because your former employer had a hand in setting him up. Moral courage is speaking up when it costs you something — when it’s unpopular, risky or hard. Ms. Spanberger has never done that. She has been silent in the face of corruption, antisemitism and the FBI’s targeting of parents as “domestic terrorists.” She will remain silent whenever real leadership is required.
Abigail Spanberger’s silence is not the mark of humility; it’s the sound of deceit. She has been bluffing Virginians for years. This time, we see her hand and we’re calling her bluff.
• Tina Ramirez Lee, a former Virginia congressional candidate, now sits on the board of Maggie’s List, a federal PAC that has endorsed Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears for Virginia governor. Tina also serves as the president and executive director of Hardwired Global, a human rights and religious freedom organization.
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