Liz Cheney endorses Democrat Abigail Spanberger in high-stakes Va. race - The Washington Post

“We don’t hold connected each policy, but I americium perfectly definite that Abigail is dedicated to serving this state and her constituents and defending our Constitution,” Cheney said. “Abigail’s hostile is promoting conspiracy theories, denying predetermination outcomes she disagrees with, and defending the indefensible. We request our elected leaders to beryllium honest, serious, and responsible, which is wherefore I would impulse voters successful Virginia’s 7th District to enactment Abigail Spanberger.”

A spokesperson did not marque Cheney disposable for an interview. A spokesperson for Vega pointed to a previous connection from Vega that she did not judge the 2020 predetermination was stolen from Trump.

Spanberger is the 3rd legislature Democrat that Cheney has backed this year, a singular improvement for the erstwhile House Republican Conference person who espoused staunchly blimpish authorities for the duration of her career. But since Trump’s unit run to overturn the 2020 predetermination and the resulting Jan. 6, 2021, riot, Cheney has been consenting to acceptable speech ideological differences to thwart Trump-backed candidates and beforehand others she views arsenic defenders of democracy, even if they’re Democrats.

Cheney, who mislaid her Republican superior earlier this year, was excised by GOP leaders for her outspoken disavowal of Trump’s mendacious stolen-election claims and her work connected the House committee investigating the onslaught connected the Capitol.

Spanberger’s opponent, Vega, was endorsed by Trump past week — an endorsement she downplayed — and she has antecedently sympathized with Jan. 6 rioters arsenic unfairly persecuted, calling them “a radical of radical exercising their First Amendment right,” according to audio the Virginia Democratic Party released aboriginal successful the run of an April 20 campaigner forum.

In a signaling of the aforesaid forum obtained by VPM, Vega additionally said “there’s grounds that continues to travel retired that indicates that the predetermination of 2020 was interfered with.” She said she would not telephone the predetermination “stolen.” But the comments besides led ex-Republican Virginia congressman Denver Riggleman to appear successful a run advertisement backing Spanberger, calling Vega’s comments astir the predetermination “coded connection for everybody connected the stop-the-steal bus.”

In an interrogation with The Post successful September, erstwhile questioned if she acknowledged President Biden arsenic legitimately elected, Vega answered, “He is the president of the United States.” She would not springiness a yes oregon nary reply erstwhile pressed, bristling that the enactment of questioning was irrelevant to voters successful her territory who were acrophobic astir the economy. She reiterated Biden is president and added that “the American radical elected him.” Asked what she thought of Trump’s mendacious claims of elector fraud, Vega said, “I americium not Donald Trump, I don’t cognize what goes connected successful his mind, and I can’t talk to what helium stated.”

Vega has different avoided discussing Trump, whose unpopularity successful Virginia suburbs mostly powered the bluish question that successful 2018 carried Spanberger into office, on with 2 different Democratic colleagues, Elaine Luria and Jennifer Wexton, who are present successful choky races.

Cheney has developed a rapport with respective of the Democrats with nationalist information backgrounds elected that year, including Luria, who serves with Cheney connected the Jan. 6 committee. Spanberger, successful fact, has said that she and Cheney were huddled successful the aforesaid harmless country unneurotic arsenic unit enveloped the Capitol connected Jan. 6.

Speaking astatine a forum astatine Harvard Kennedy School past month, Cheney described Spanberger, Luria, Slotkin and Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Penn.) arsenic “women whom I whitethorn person large disagreements with connected immoderate issues, but man, they are determination for the close reason.”

“They enactment hard, and I cognize that they privation what’s champion for the country,” Cheney said, according to the Harvard Gazette. “And I cognize that we tin person a treatment and a disagreement and fig retired wherever we agree. Those are the kinds of radical that you tin spot with the aboriginal of this country.”

In a statement, Spanberger said she valued that Cheney “has consistently enactment the information and information of our state and defence of our ideology supra enactment allegiance, and I convey her for demonstrating principled enactment successful doing so.”

“I americium grateful for her enactment of my reelection campaign, and portion she and I whitethorn often disagree connected policy, we stock a committedness to nationalist service, governing with integrity, and protecting the spot of our democracy,” Spanberger said. “She understands that my enactment for Virginia is grounded successful the rule of putting our state archetypal — implicit enactment — always.”

The contention successful Virginia’s 7th District is considered a toss-up, and on with competitory races successful Virginia’s 2nd and 10th districts, political analysts spot it arsenic a key bellwether to gauge however good Republicans execute successful their bid to instrumentality power of Congress.