Spanberger to hold telephone town hall, mum on Quantico

With an eye toward future political aspirations, Representative Abigail Spanberger (D) of Virginia’s 7th Congressional District is set to host a telephone town hall on Thursday, May 16, from 7:30 pm to 8:30 pm.

The town hall, a staple of political engagement for elected officials, comes following a security breach at Quantico Marine Corps Base, located within her district boundaries. On May 3, two men inside a box truck, claiming to work for Amazon, tried to run the gate and were stopped by military police, and turned over to ICE.

Spanberger did not respond to a request for comment following the incident.

Sources tell Potomac Local one of the men is on a U.S. terrorist watch list, and had crossed the southern border into the country just days before the incident. No one one was injured at Quantico. However, it comes after multiple, similar, deadly incidents at the White House and at other military installations in Virginia and California.

Spanberger, currently serving her second term in Congress, announced earlier this year that she would not seek reelection to Congress. Instead, she has set her sights on the Virginia Governor’s mansion, with plans to run in the upcoming 2025 gubernatorial race.

Spanberger did not respond to a request for comment following the incident. On April 9, 2024, Potomac Local pressed Spanberger on whether or not, if elected governor in 2025, she would use the Virginia National Guard to assist Texas in securing the southern border. In response, she said the border is a federal issue, not a state issue, blamed House Republicans for not working with the president on his plan to secure the border, said “I’m working on it,” and jumped into an SUV and left the area.

In her announcement regarding the telephone town hall, Spanberger expressed her anticipation to engage with constituents, stating, “I look forward to hearing from you, answering your questions, and sharing updates about my work for Virginia.”

The telephone town hall offers multiple avenues for engagement for those interested in participating. Participants can dial in directly to the event at 833-380-0670 to listen live or pose questions directly to the congresswoman.

Additionally, for those preferring to watch the conversation unfold visually, Spanberger has provided online streaming options. The event can be viewed live at spanberger.house.gov/live or via her Facebook page.