Democratic candidate for Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger is under fire in a campaign ad blitz by women’s rights group Independent Women’s Voice, blasting Spanberger for her “extreme, anti-woman” record in Congress.

Rep. Abigail Spanberger’s vote against a bill aimed at restricting participation in women’s and girls’ sports to biological females is drawing criticism in new radio ads from Independent Women’s Voice (IWV). 

The group cites her voting record to label her an “anti-woman candidate” for governor, stating: “Where is Abigail Spanberger on protecting women and girls? She voted to keep men in women’s sports.”

While announcing the ad campaign, IWV cites polling that shows more than 80% of swing voters favor efforts of “protecting women’s sports.”

IWV’s senior policy analyst Carrie Sheffield told The Washington Examiner that Spanberger’s efforts to “portray herself as pro-woman” doesn’t square with her Congressional votes. 

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Sheffield said the Democratic gubernatorial candidate “has an extremist voting record”, citing a 5% rating Spanberger received from Heritage Action – a leading conservative political organization based in Washington, DC.

According to Sheffield, “everything Abigail Spanberger stands for would erode” the equal opportunity for girls and women’s sports.

IWV partnered with collegiate swimmer Riley Gaines—who competed against a biological male in college—to launch the Riley Gaines Stand with Women Scorecard, which grades lawmakers on their support for legislation protecting female sports and spaces. Although Spanberger’s rating is no longer listed, earlier reporting indicated she received a failing score.

Beyond Spanberger’s apparent failure to protect women’s and girls sports, Spanberger is under fire for her support of President Biden’s agenda. In a recent Daily Signal column, IWV’s Carrie Sheffield criticized Spanberger for backing what she called Biden’s “spending blowout” and taxpayer-funded green energy “boondoggles,” accusing her of contributing to inflation that continues to burden Americans.

Sheffield also took aim at Spanberger’s campaign financing, claiming she is “raking in donations from leftist bigwigs.” While running for governor, Spanberger has accepted six-figure contributions from Silicon Valley and healthcare industry executives, with less than 40% of her funding coming from Virginia donors.

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Spanberger has also faced scrutiny over her pledge to reject corporate money. Although she has refused corporate PAC contributions, critics argue she has blurred the lines by accepting large personal donations from corporate executives.

Despite holding positions on women’s sports that critics say are out of step with most voters, Spanberger maintains a significant—though not insurmountable—lead over Republican challenger Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears. 

Virginia Democrats remain cautious, concerned that unfavorable national trends could suppress Democratic turnout and put Spanberger’s lead at risk.