RICHMOND, Va. -- Freshman Democratic U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger has kept her seat in a competitive Virginia congressional race.

The former CIA operations officer defeated Republican challenger and state House delegate Nick Freitas in a close race that was called on Sunday. Freitas is a former U.S. Army Green Beret.

Virginia's 7th congressional district supported President Donald Trump in 2016. It extends from the suburbs west of Richmond to the exurbs of Washington to rural towns at the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains and includes voters in Chesterfield, Henrico, Spotsylvania, Culpeper, Louisa, Orange, Powhatan, Goochland, Amelia, and Nottoway.

Spanberger was part of a wave of women who helped Democrats retake the U.S. House in 2018. She came to Congress with deep intelligence experience.

The candidate claimed victory in the tight race, one of the most competitive races in Central Virginia, Wednesday evening.

The Democratic incumbent had received 50.80% of the vote (230,088) to 49.05% (222,157) for Freitas, according to the totals from the Virginia Department of Elections Sunday afternoon.

During her time in office, Spanberger has promoted her efforts to work across the aisle, including efforts to lower prescription drug prices and expand broadband access to rural portions of the district.

A former CIA officer, Spanberger voted to impeach President Trump during the Ukraine scandal last year, saying the President abused his power and threatened national security.

Given the voting history of Virginia’s 7th District, the Cook Political Report listed the race as a tossup, with Spanberger having a slight edge as the incumbent.