AP Photo/Andrew Harnik
- Huma Abedin said Democrats need to energize the party after Republicans won in statewide elections in Virginia.
- "We didn't show out numbers that we needed to," the longtime aide to Hillary Clinton told Insider.
- She also said that Biden's Build Back Better agenda must move forward.
Huma Abedin, a longtime aide to Hillary Clinton, said in a new interview that Democrats have to increase voter enthusiasm after they lost statewide races in Virginia on Tuesday evening.
"We have to get our party energized, committed, focused, whatever it is," Abedin told Insider on Wednesday morning. "We didn't show out numbers that we needed to. The other side obviously was very motivated."
Republicans winning in Virginia is not "unusual" because voters historically elect the opposite party of the US president in a midterm year, Abedin said. But the defeat signaled that there's work to be done, particularly on fulfilling President Joe Biden's Build Back agenda, she added.
"These spending bills are massive, but they are necessary," Abedin said, referring to Biden's bipartisan infrastructure bill and a Democrat-led economic package, which aim to invest billions in improving infrastructure, education, health care, and other policy areas. Congressional lawmakers are still working to reach a deal on the two separate pieces of legislation.
Abedin's comments came in an interview with Insider this week after the release of her new memoir, "Both/And." She praised the Biden administration, which consists of many officials, such as National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, whom she worked with in her decades-long career.
"They're trying to do the right thing and they're experienced," Abedin said. "The spending bills are going to be difficult to pass, but they're working through it. It is the only way forward.
Abedin added that Biden has been "doing it the hard way," pointing out his insistence on bipartisan dealmaking.
"He's committed. He goes to the Hill. He's trying to get Republicans to the table. That's how you get stuff done," she said.
Abedin worked for Clinton through her years as first lady, New York senator, 2008 presidential candidate, Secretary of State, 2016 Democratic nominee, and beyond. She spoke with Insider about her career and her past marriage to former New York congressman Anthony Weiner.