VA-07: "Female James Bond" wins Democratic primary

Female James Bond to nuclear engineer, the women running for Congress are intense

MARYALICE PARKS
Wednesday, June 13, 2018 05:03AM


Even before deciding to run for public office, Abigail Spanberger had to ask her former employer for special permission to declassify her past work.

The CIA, after all, has strict rules about how spies can talk about their clandestine experience on resumes and with civilians after they leave.

Spanberger's work as a CIA case officer took her around the world. She developed assets and worked with sources, gathering intelligence to fight terrorism and pursue nuclear nonproliferation.

She told ABC News people on the campaign trail have asked her outright if she had been an assassin.

During a during a phone interview last week, she laughed out loud when we asked the obvious follow-up question: "We're you an assassin?"

"Definitely not," she said.

Spanberger is running in Virginia's 7th Congressional District. She faces another Democratic contender in the party's primary Tuesday.

She is one of a record number of women running for Congress this year, many of them new to politics and bringing with them a wide range of careers and expertise. Like Spanberger, a notable number of women running this cycle have backgrounds in traditionally male-dominated and rather hardcore fields.


http://abc11.com/female-james-bond-to-nuclear-engineer-the-women-running-for-congress-are-intense-/3596893/