Politico reports that U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) will not seek reelection in 2024. 

Instead, the outlet reports that Spanberger has decided to pursue the state's governorship in 2024.

Per Politico:

Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a centrist Democrat from Virginia who sits in a must-win seat for her party in 2024, has told multiple people she will run for governor in 2025.

It is the fact that Spanberger's congressional seat is so important to the Democrats that makes Spanberger's decision not to seek reelection potentially problematic for the Democrats.

Background

In the 2022 midterm elections, the Republicans managed to win back the U.S. House of Representatives from the Democrats.

Since then, the Republicans have been using their roughly 10-vote lead in the House to stop controversial legislation from the Democrats and to launch several investigations, including the ongoing investigation into alleged Biden family corruption.

In 2024, the Democrats are looking to put an end to all of this by regaining the majority in the House. And, this is where Spanberger's seat comes into play.

In order to regain the House majority, it is being predicted that the Democrats will have to hold onto Spanberger's seat, namely, Virginia's seventh congressional district.

This could be more difficult to do without Spanberger.

The "why?"

The big question, of course, is why Spanberger is leaving the House to make a run at Virginia's governorship. The answer to this question is not immediately clear.

At the moment, Spanberger is trying to keep her future plans under wraps. A spokesperson of hers told Politico, "As every Democrat in Virginia should be, Abigail is squarely focused on the 2023 General Assembly races."

But, Politico's sources make it clear that Spanberger does intend to move on from the House - to not seek reelection in 2024.

Part of what may be driving Spanberger's decision-making here is that her seat is considered to be vulnerable to a Republican challenge. In fact, the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) has listed Spanberger's seat as one of its 2024 targets. And, Republicans have already been campaigning against Spanberger by highlighting the fact that she voted in favor of reducing penalties for violent crimes.

So, it looks as though Spanberger could have faced a difficult reelection and that she may be looking for greener pastures. But, this, of course, is just speculation. Either way, if the Democrats do not find a good replacement for Spanberger, her seat could be easy pickings for Republicans in 2024, which would increase the likelihood that they will hold on to their majority in the House.