Former Virginia governor challenges Spanberger to debate her redistricting flip-flop
A top Republican predecessor of Gov. Abigail Spanberger challenged her to publicly debate the merits of the redistricting referendum she and Virginia Democrats so fervently support, as an anti-gerrymandering group...
By Fox News · Fox News
A top Republican predecessor of Gov. Abigail Spanberger challenged her to publicly debate the merits of the redistricting referendum she and Virginia Democrats so fervently support, as an anti-gerrymandering group he works with also fired off a letter to her in his stead. Spanberger, along with Senate and House leadership in Richmond, is squarely in the "Vote YES" camp when it comes to the April 21 public referendum to redraw the Old Dominion’s congressional districts in a way that would likely remove all but one GOP congressman from office. Gov. George Allen, a Republican who served as governor from 1994 to 1998 between tenures in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate, said in a statement that if the incumbent’s ideas are right, she should publicly defend them. "Virginia voters expect a robust and transparent discussion of the issues. So, I am inviting Governor Spanberger to join me in a series of public debates to look Virginians in the eye and explain each side of this referendum vote," Allen said. BATTLE FOR THE HOUSE RUNS THROUGH VIRGINIA AS COURT OKS HIGH-STAKES REDISTRICTING VOTE "I am prepared to discuss why I oppose gerrymandering in Virginia and anywhere else in our nation." Allen, whose father was one of the then-Washington Redskins’ most successful coaches, said that people in Virginia are being "barraged" by political ads and that $28 million has been spent on commercials that "are at best misleading and designed to confused voters." "Let’s give Virginians the honest and transparent discussion of gerrymandering that they deserve," he said. In that regard, the group No Gerrymandering Virginia, which is being spearheaded by a bipartisan group of former Virginia lawmakers and officials including Allen, sent a letter requesting such to Spanberger’s office at the Capitol. "If you’re confident that your ideas and your candidates are so great, then you ought not fear the people," Allen told Richmond’s NBC affiliate . He added that gerrymandering is a personal subjec…