A former senior official from the Biden administration has criticized Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger for aligning too closely with President Joe Biden’s strategies. He accused her of wasting goodwill and allowing the Republican Party to shape her public image, urging her to “step out of her Biden bunker.”
This criticism comes as former Governor George Allen proposed a virtual debate on redistricting with Spanberger, suggesting it as a compromise after her initial refusal. Meanwhile, Spanberger avoided engaging with a Fox News Digital reporter who approached her in Richmond earlier this week.
On Tuesday, Michael LaRosa, who previously served as the top aide and spokesperson for former First Lady Jill Biden, expressed his disapproval of Spanberger. He compared her unfavorably to President Biden and referenced a Washington Post poll that showed her as having the highest unfavorable ratings since Allen’s time, describing this as “completely self-inflicted and avoidable.”
LaRosa depicted Spanberger’s transition from an overwhelmingly popular candidate to a contentious leader as “a classic, yet all too familiar, story.”
He remarked, “She entered office with a strong mandate and genuine public support, but within months, the GOP succeeded in portraying her as a deceptive figure.”
“Rather than addressing this head-on, the governor resorted to the old 1990s strategy of ‘ignoring the issue,’ a tactic often used by Biden during his tenure: hide and hope it goes away,” he added.
Biden remained out of public view during some controversial points in his tenure, leading pundits to claim he was hiding or stowed away in a “bunker.”
LaRosa added on X that ignoring “attacks, smears and misinformation” doesn’t make them disappear but instead creates a vacuum for Spanberger and allows her opponents to define her.
“What started as silly right-wing noise is now a mainstream narrative, and it’s reflected in her first report card. She needs to channel the badass, confrontational Abby Spanberger from that Nov[ember] 2020 caucus call — spicy, direct and pragmatic.”
He suggested she hold regular pressers, get combative with reporters and accept interviews with mainstream media.
“She has to show and tell and climb out of the Biden bunker,” LaRosa said, before borrowing a line President Donald Trump used toward African American voters unsure of whether to break with Hillary Clinton and Democratic Party orthodoxy in 2016:
“What the hell does she have to lose?”
Spanberger’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and neither did representatives for Biden.
After she declined Allen’s invitation to an in-person debate on the merits of the redistricting effort — what some call gerrymandering — being put in front of voters, the Republican said Monday he would re-up his offer with even more favorable terms for Spanberger.
“All of this is a bit confusing; it’s unusual, and it helps the people to hear both sides of it,” Allen said of the redistricting referendum while speaking with Rich Herrera on Richmond’s WRVA radio.
Allen, son of Washington Redskins icon George H. Allen, said Spanberger declined his invitation, citing her busy schedule and a pile of bills to review.
He told Herrera that he responded in a letter telling her he fully understands that experience and instead would like to debate virtually, but televised, for one hour, at a time and date and with a moderator of her choosing before the April 21 election.
The last time Democrats held this much power in Virginia, the “Byrd Organization,” led by segregationist former Gov. Harry F. Byrd, maintained it for decades. The Post’s poll shows Spanberger similarly swept Republicans out of Richmond but has already lost much of her political capital just four months in.
Forty-six percent of Virginians disapproved of her job performance, while 47% approved, only four months into her term.
In contrast, predecessor Gov. Glenn Youngkin saw a 54-39 job approval at this point in his term, with the highest favorability going to Democrat Mark Warner – now Virginia’s senior senator — with a 78-20 rating.
Fox News Digital reached out to Spanberger for comment.
