Virginia Republican Who Faced Death Threat Responds to Spanberger’s Attempt to Contextualize Rage Comments

Virginia Democrat gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger claimed that her rallying cry for supporters to “let your rage fuel you” had nothing to do with the death threat against Virginia Republican Delegate Kim Taylor.

Taylor, however, disagrees.

“Abigail Spanberger has a habit of trying to pit Virginians against each other, and it’s pretty clear this isn’t just a slip—it’s how she’s running her campaign,” the delegate told The Daily Signal in a statement Monday.

“She keeps going back to this kind of divisive language, and it shows she’d rather stir people up with anger than actually bring folks together to solve problems,” Taylor added. “That might fire up her base, but it’s not what Virginia needs in a governor.”

The Death Threat

The controversy traces back to last week, when authorities arrested Michael Ray Strawmyer, 33, and charged him with making a death threat against Taylor, the Virginia Mercury reported.

“Earlier today, Delegate Kim Taylor received a politically motivated death threat by text message to her campaign,” Jacklyn Washington, the delegate’s spokeswoman, said in a statement Thursday. “Our campaign takes every threat seriously and this was no exception.”

Michael Ray Strawmyer (Photo courtesy of Dinwiddie County Sheriff’s Office)

The threat came just two weeks after the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk and a slew of violence and threats following that assassination.

Spanberger’s Response

“I am horrified to hear about the death threat made against Delegate Kim Taylor—and I am relieved to hear that the suspect is now in custody,” Spanberger wrote in response to the news. “I am thinking of Delegate Taylor and her family, and I am grateful for our local law enforcement who worked swiftly on this case.”

‘Let Your Rage Fuel You’

Yet Taylor pointed to remarks Spanberger originally made in June but has repeated on the campaign trail.

“Just recently, a candidate for statewide office encouraged supporters to ‘let your rage fuel you’ when talking about Republicans,” Taylor said last week. “Words like these have consequences, and my family felt them firsthand.”

Spanberger’s Republican opponent, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, has criticized the Democrat, highlighting the June video.

Spanberger’s Defense

On Monday, the Spanberger campaign gave the Petersburg Progress-Index a statement responding to Taylor’s claim.

The campaign did not deny Spanberger’s use of the phrase, but said she uses it in a civil way, encouraging supporters to vote and contact elected officials.

“Abigail immediately condemned this horrific threat, and she will continue to condemn any attempt to make light of or justify political violence of any kind,” the campaign statement reads. “Abigail has a long record of working across party lines to get things done, and she will continue to bring people together as Virginia’s next governor.”

The campaign spokesperson said that Spanberger tells supporters to “let your rage fuel you” in order “to encourage supporters to write postcards and knock doors.”

Taylor Doesn’t Buy It

Del. Taylor slammed the campaign statement on X.

“[Spanberger] told supporters to ‘let your rage fuel you’ and now she wants to pretend she didn’t mean it,” the delegate wrote. “Sorry, Abigail, you don’t get to walk it back.”

Taylor mentioned a slew of violent attacks on Republicans in recent years, including the 2017 shooting at a Republican practice for the Congressional Baseball Game (in which then-House Majority Whip Steve Scalise nearly died), the assassination attempts against President Donald Trump, and the Kirk assassination.

“This is the same violent rhetoric we’ve seen from Democrats for years and Republicans have paid the price: Steve Scalise nearly killed on a baseball field, President Trump targeted by an assassin, Charlie Kirk murdered in cold blood,” the delegate said. “A real leader defends our families, unites our Commonwealth, and leads with courage—not rage. Abigail Spanberger has already disqualified herself.”

The Spanberger campaign did not respond to The Daily Signal’s request for comment by publication time.

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