Moderate Democrats Under Pressure As Party's Left Grabs Attention
Rep. Abigail Spanberger's bipartisan credentials were a central issue for voters at a recent town hall. The freshman lawmaker beat a Republican incumbent in an ideologically diverse Virginia district.
For Democrats, one of the keys to winning control of the House of Representatives last year was convincing voters in formerly Republican districts that there's more than one way to be a Democrat.
Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., was one of dozens of new members who ousted Republicans, in part on a pledge to buck party leaders and work across the aisle. Spanberger spent her first three months in office following through on that promise — she voted against Nancy Pelosi for speaker of the House and split from Democrats on a number of procedural votes.
But constituents in
