Nevertheless, They Persisted

Although I have always been interested in politics, I became an activist only after the election of the current Republican president in 2016. Like many people, I had become complacent. Some presidents were better (much better) than others, but the political system kept perking along and things seemed normal.

The 2016 election forced me to recognize that things were not normal – that the American political system was vulnerable to a combination of malice and complacency that led to the election of the most unqualified candidate in American history. I felt the need to do . . . something . . . but I didn’t know what.

The Indivisible movement arose during this same time period, energizing and organizing millions of people like me who felt the need to do something. I began working within a local Indivisible chapter and started to find my feet.

Indivisible’s first real success came with the midterm election in 2018, when Democrats gained 41 seats to seize control of the House of Representatives. This was enough to begin to push back on the Republican administration. In Virginia, this election swung control of the state’s congressional delegation. Prior to this election, Virginia was represented by 7 Republicans and 4 Democrats; after this election, that balance had been upended so that Virginia was represented by 4 Republicans and 7 Democrats.

One of the representatives elected in the 2018 wave election in Virginia was Abigail Spanberger. She won in a tight race against Tea Party incumbent Dave Brat, who had held this seat for four years. Notably, Spanberger was targeted by allies of the then-president; Steve Bannon visited the district and noted that losing the district would mean that the GOP would lose control of the house. The GOP did lose the district and control of the House. Spanberger went on to went another close election in 2020. She won again in 2022, despite the fact that the redrawn district no longer included her home in Henrico County.

The state of New Jersey also saw a dramatic shift; Democrats in the stater picked up four seats, giving them a victory in 11 of the 12 congressional districts. One of the newly elected representatives in this wave election was Mikie Sherrill, who won a convincing victory in a traditionally Republican district. Her victory in this election marked the largest partisan vote share swing in the 2018 cycle, with a 33 percentage-point spread from a 19-point GOP margin in 2016 6o a 15-point Democratic one in 2028. Sherrill is the first Democrat to win this seat since 1984. She went on to be re-elected on 2020, 2022, and 2024.

Left: Virginia gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger Right: New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill

The parallels between these two women are interesting. Oddly, Spanberger was born in New Jersey but was elected from Virginia, while Sherrill was born in Virginia and was elected from New Jersey. While they were growing up, both of their families had relocated a number of times because of the father’s employment. Spanberger was born in 1979 while Sherrill was born in 1972. Both of them are married with several children. Both women have a background in national security. Spanberger served eight years as a CIA intelligence officer, while Sherrill served nine years in the United States Navy. In an election that featured the victories of the Squad – progressive democrats like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, Rashida Tlaib, and Ilhan Omar – Spanberger and Sherrill represent the more moderate wing of the Democratic party.

Spanberger’s home is less than 100 miles from Washington; Sherrill’s home is more than twice that. Both women chose not to move their families to Washington, electing instead to live in DC while Congress is in session and return to their homes on weekends and during recess periods. It’s not uncommon for representatives to choose this option.

Given the similarities between their backgrounds and political views, it was not surprising that they chose to share a Capitol Hill apartment. That didn’t happen right away; when they first came to DC in 2019, they each rented an apartment on the same floor of a building near the Capitol. After a year or so, they decided to move in together.

They were good roommates. They shared a common work ethic and common pragmatic interest in getting things done. Neither of them was interested in developing a social life in Washington. They worked long hours and ate take-out meals. They went home on weekends. They laugh about the fact that, although they do not really look alike, they are of a similar age (Sherrill is 53 and Spanberger is 45). They both have long blond-ish hair and sometimes are mistaken for one another in the halls of the Capitol building.

I’m writing about them today because they are both running in high-profile races this year. Virginia and New Jersey are the only states that hold major elections in odd-numbered years, and both women are running for governor of their respective states.

Spanberger announced her candidacy for governor in 2023, choosing not to run for reelection to her congressional seat. She secured the Democratic party nomination for this office after discouraging potential challengers. Sherrill, on the other hand, faces several challengers in a hotly contested Democratic party primary that will take place on June 10, 2025. Most polling shows her with a substantial lead in the race, but the result will be decided by a large numbers of voters who still say they are undecided.

If she wins, Spanberger will be the first woman elected governor of Virginia. Sherrill would not be a similar groundbreaker; Republican Christine Todd Whitman won two races for governor of New Jersey in the 1990s.

In a period when one of the internal squabbles in the Democratic Party is about elected officials who hang on to power too long rather than retiring and making room for younger candidates, Spanberger and Sherrill are examples of the power of younger elected officials. They are old enough to have the experience and gravitas required by important positions, but they are young enough to anticipate having to live with the consequences of their political decisions. That’s not a bad thing.