Republican Police Chief Chris Jenkins is throwing his support behind Rep. Abigail Spanberger in a new ad as the Virginia Democrat faces a heated race against GOP nominee Yesli Vega to represent the state’s 7th Congressional District.
In the 30-second clip, the Culpeper police chief takes aim at Vega, supervisor and sheriff’s deputy in Prince William County, for suggesting during a campaign event earlier this year that pregnancy is less likely after rape.
Vega has defended the comment, made in response to an attendee’s question on abortion.
“I certainly was not downplaying anything,” she told the Washington Examiner at a campaign stop on Monday. “I always try to be mindful of what people share with me, and what that individual was sharing with me was a study that she had read, and I didn’t want to be dismissive. I’m a law enforcement officer. I’ve worked these cases, and shame on my opponent for trying to use that to score cheap political points.”
Jenkins also blasted the GOP candidate for her response to the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol.
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“I’ve been a police officer for 45 years. I’ve spent a lifetime protecting this community, and I thought I had seen everything — until now,” he said in the ad, titled “Shocked.”
“When Yesli Vega, a police officer, said she doubts rape leads to pregnancy, I was shocked. She bashed the FBI and defended those who attacked the Capitol — that’s just wrong. I’m a Republican, and I’m supporting Abigail Spanberger because she puts country and community over party.”
Spanberger, a former CIA case officer who unseated former Rep. Dave Brat (R-VA) in 2018, has been in a heated battle to retain her swing seat, with nonpartisan handicapper Cook Political Report rating it as “leans Democrat.”
The Virginia Democrat thanked Jenkins in a statement, slamming Vega’s stance on abortion and touting her experience in law enforcement.
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“My opponent has doubted that victims of rape can become pregnant, voted three times against funding local police departments as a member of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors, bashed federal law enforcement officers for conducting a legal search, and defended the insurrectionists on January 6 who attacked the U.S. Capitol and the law enforcement officers sworn to protect it,” she said.
“As a former federal law enforcement officer, I believe in the rule of law,” she added. “At a time when Virginians are concerned about the safety of our communities, I am working to deliver. I have voted with a majority of my colleagues in the U.S. House to increase funding for local police departments, enact common sense gun violence prevention, and help those struggling with substance use disorders.”
Jenkins is not the first right-leaning person to come out in support of Spanberger, with former GOP Rep. Denver Riggleman (VA) having cut an ad, released earlier this month, in an effort to boost her odds in November.
