On Tuesday’s broadcast of CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) responded to a question on if Democrats like her should speak out against or embrace candidates who have advocated for Hamas and defunding the police by saying that “if I am talking to any candidate, or certainly anyone who might be running in Virginia, my priority is going to be that they understand the vital resources that are needed to keep our communities safe, to strengthen our schools, and to ultimately lower costs.”
Co-host Andrew Ross Sorkin asked, “Governor, for example, you’re not somebody who’s been a defund the police person. You’ve never argued in favor of Hamas, for example.” After Spanberger cut in to say that she hasn’t been pro-Hamas, Ross Sorkin continued, “But the reason I’m asking this is because there are now people in the Democratic Party who have been openly advocating on behalf of Hamas, who have openly advocated to defund the police. And the question is whether mainstream Democrats like yourself should be speaking out against them or should be embracing them.”
Spanberger responded, “So, I will say this, as the chief executive for the commonwealth of Virginia, where communities across the board expect their governor to work to keep them safe, to work to strengthen our schools, to work to make life more affordable, I will be very, very clear in the fact that the way you achieve that is through having strong public schools, having strong public safety. That means ensuring that our public safety, that’s our police, our fire, our first responders, are not just well paid, but well respected, that our departments across our communities, whether they are bigger cities in Virginia or small, small communities, are getting what they need. In fact, we’re endeavoring with a statewide effort to ensure that we have readiness afoot, because first responders, our fire, our sheriff’s departments, our police, they’re not just responding to potential incidents of crimes or to fires, they’re responding to fast-water floods, they are responding to natural disasters. And we are working to ensure that we’re strengthening their capability. And so, as governor, if I am talking to any candidate, or certainly anyone who might be running in Virginia, my priority is going to be that they understand the vital resources that are needed to keep our communities safe, to strengthen our schools, and to ultimately lower costs. And so, for me, as a candidate, those things are non-negotiable, and I will justify my desire to invest in public safety and public schools across the board in all circumstances. And I think it’s going to be up to voters to recognize that, if you want to have strong public schools and strong public safety, it comes with strong investments in both of those things. And that’s what I’ve been committed to as governor. Certainly, the candidates I endorsed in our primaries at the federal level support the same. And, at the end of the day, it’s going to be up to every candidate to say what they’re for. And people should ensure that they are making clear what it is that they want. And for me, that’s lowering costs, strengthening schools, and safe communit[ies].”
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