STAFFORD, Va. (AP) — Rep. Abigail Spanberger held Virginia’s 7th District seat for three terms, surpassing other Democrats elected in the 2018 “blue wave” to flip seats with her reputation for bipartisanship. But with Spanberger leaving the House to run for governor in 2025, both parties are eager to win the contested Piedmont region seat.

Holding on to open seats like Spanberger’s will be crucial for Democrats as they try to regain the majority in November’s elections and could provide a cushion for a Republican Party that has little margin for error in its current majority has.

Democrats are defending four open battleground seats next month that represent prime opportunities for Republicans to flip their seats to expand their majority without challenging better-known incumbents.

This year’s race pits Democrat Eugene Vindman, a former National Security Council official who, along with his twin brother Alexander, played a role in former President Donald Trump’s first impeachment trial, against Republican Derrick Anderson, a retired Green Beret and lawyer who previously had lost a GOP primary for the seat. The pair will meet for a debate on Wednesday after meeting in recent forums.

A recent poll by Ragnar Research Partners commissioned by Anderson’s campaign showed Vindman and Anderson tied at 43 percent. Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales rates the race as a false decision.

Anderson is tied with Vindman in the polls, despite the Democrat’s money advantage. At the end of June, Vindman had $2.3 million, while Anderson had $461,000. Both campaigns are expected to report their third-quarter fundraising numbers by Oct. 15.

Outside groups have also started spending money in the district. The House Majority Fund PAC, which is allied with House Democratic leaders, has spent $521,000 on the race as of September 30, while its Republican counterpart, the Congressional Leadership Fund, has spent $100,000, according to its own FEC filings -dollars spent on the race. Americans for Prosperity Action has spent money supporting Anderson, while Casa in Action PAC is supporting Vindman. A group called Patriots for a Brighter America also opposes Vindman.

While meeting voters on the first day of early voting last month, Vindman spoke to a crowd gathered in Stafford County about protecting abortion rights, an issue on which he criticizes Anderson in ads, and attacked Project 2025, saying, The Heritage Foundation’s proposed platform think about it tank is a top issue for voters concerned about eliminating Social Security benefits, cutting veterans’ benefits and targeting federal government officials.

“These are the issues that concern voters. These are the issues that, along with abortion, will make the difference and that is why we are winning and will continue to win,” Vindman said.

To the suburbs and beyond

The 7th District is home to one of the nation’s largest populations of federal employees and spans several counties that are part of the Washington, DC metropolitan area. It includes Prince William, Stafford and Spotsylvania counties, as well as rural areas from the Potomac River in the east to mountainous areas in the west.

Anderson also made the rounds on a Friday as early voting began, greeting supporters in a few counties. Anderson has emphasized affordability and inflation, two issues highlighted by Republican candidates across the country.

Virginians brought a variety of viewpoints and answers to who they supported at the polls on the first day of early voting.

Rebecca Adamson, who was at the early voting site in Stafford County, said she supported Vindman because she was “voting with my values.”

“I think he will bring a lot of integrity. I think he really understands foreign policy,” she said. “It shows that he stands for integrity.”

Judy Basinger, who initially voted for Anderson in Stafford, said inflation and illegal immigration were her main issues when deciding who to vote for. She said she encouraged his campaign to spend more time in the county.

“We need a change in our legislature. Right now it’s wrong and it’s going completely in the wrong direction,” she said. “We need a change. We have to take Virginia back,” she added, adding that she hoped Republican Senate candidate Hung Cao would defeat Democratic Senator Tim Kaine. Inside Elections rates the Virginia Senate race as solidly Democratic, so a Cao win would represent something of a Republican landslide.

Attacks on the finish line

As the campaign enters the home stretch, both sides are resorting to lines of attack that have less to do with politics but that they hope will attract attention.

Democrats have ridiculed Anderson in recent days after The New York Times reported that he posed with the wife and daughters of an old friend for previously unused campaign footage that appeared on his YouTube page and on a National Republican Congressional website Committee was used.

Candidates often use their family members in campaign advertisements and materials. Vindman’s campaign recently released an ad featuring his wife, Cindy, who says, “He’s a good man and will always do the right thing.” Anderson has often mentioned his family on social media and announced his engagement there last month.

Anderson, meanwhile, used a news conference Monday to call on Vindman to release a form that would provide more information about his military career, such as when and where he served and what his rank was.

“Yevgeny Vindman deliberately inflates his military resume. He doesn’t have to, but he does,” he said, using Vindman’s legal name. “There are questions, so there must be answers.”