Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat, secured victory in the Virginia gubernatorial election on Tuesday, overcoming Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears. This win provides Democrats with a significant advantage as they approach the 2026 midterm elections and marks a historic moment, as Spanberger becomes the first woman to govern the commonwealth.
TL;DR
- Abigail Spanberger won the Virginia gubernatorial election, becoming the first woman governor.
- Democrats Ghazala F. Hashmi and Jay Jones also won statewide offices in Virginia.
- Spanberger's victory signals a significant night for Democrats and raises concerns about Donald Trump's influence.
- Spanberger focused on economic issues and linked her opponent to Donald Trump in her campaign.
Spanberger's victory marked the first in a big night for Democrats across Virginia and the nation, raising fresh concerns about President Donald Trump's political influence less than twelve months into his second presidential term.
“We sent a message to every corner of the commonwealth, a message to our neighbors and our fellow Americans across the country,” Spanberger told supporters Tuesday night in Richmond. “We sent a message to the whole word that in 2025, Virginia chose pragmatism over partisanship. We chose our commonwealth over chaos.”
On Tuesday as well, Democrat Ghazala F. Hashmi secured the lieutenant governor's position, taking over from Earle-Sears. Hashmi marks a historic achievement as the first Muslim woman to attain a statewide elected office in the United States. In a night filled with significant milestones, Democratic contender Jay Jones defeated defeated Republican Jason Miyares, becoming the state's inaugural Black attorney general and finalizing a complete Democratic victory across all statewide offices in the commonwealth. Furthermore, Democrats maintained their hold on the state legislature.
Spanberger, who previously served as a congresswoman and CIA case officer, secured her victory by focusing on economic matters, a tactic that could offer a blueprint for Other Democrats in the upcoming elections as they aim to dislodge Republican control in Washington and improve their standing in state legislatures.
Campaigning, Spanberger often sidestepped the historic potential of her candidacy. In victory, she embraced it.
“Just a few minutes ago, Adam said to our daughters, your mom’s going to be the governor of Virginia. And I can guarantee those words have never been spoken in Virginia ever before,” she said.
“It’s a big deal,” she added, “that the girls and the young women I have met along the campaign trail now know with certainty that they can achieve anything.”
As Spanberger spoke to her family, her eyes filled with tears, expressing her love for them. Her husband and three daughters, positioned behind her, dabbed at their own tearful faces.
Spanberger was intentional in how she criticized Trump
Spanberger presented well-considered economic critiques of Trump’s policies during the campaign, simultaneously investing heavily in advertisements linking Earle-Sears to the former president. She traveled the state for her campaign, even visiting Republican-friendly regions, and donned a vibrant red suit for her initial appearance as governor-elect.
Spanberger additionally highlighted her backing for abortion access in the final Southern state without new limitations or prohibitions on the procedure, and she strongly criticized Trump's Department of Government Efficiency, the U.S. Government shutdown, and their detrimental effects on a state employing hundreds of thousands of federal workers.
This strategy succeeded in rallying Democrats' primary base of support and drawing in the moderate voters who propelled Youngkin to victory four years prior. It also maintained a long-standing pattern in Virginia: Ever since Jimmy Carter secured the presidency in 1976, Virginia has consistently supported a governor from the party opposing the sitting first-term president in the subsequent year. This election year presents a unique situation due to the interval between Trump's presidential terms.
Meanwhile, Republicans face the challenge of another battlefield defeat, this time by a staunch conservative aligned with the president's party.
Although Trump didn't actively campaign for Earle-Sears, he did offer her his lukewarm backing. This strained partnership prompts consideration of the best Republican candidate for competitive general elections and how the president’s volatile standing with voters could influence GOP contenders in the upcoming November elections. The midterm contests will decide control of state legislatures across numerous states and whether Republicans will hold sway in Washington during the concluding years of Trump's term.
Earle-Sears 61, would have become the first Black woman to be elected as a governor in the U.S.
“My opponent, Abigail, ran as a moderate,” Earle-Sears said in her concession speech. “If she governs as one, then she will unite us, and she’ll heal our divide and win our support. I hope and pray she does.”
Spanberger balanced policy and biography
Spanberger, 46, pledged to safeguard Virginia's economy against the assertive strategies of Trump's second term, which has reduced the civil service, imposed duties, and guided a reconciliation measure that has restricted the state's already precarious health care system.
Stephanie Uhl, a 38-year-old Defense Department worker, cited the federal government shutdown as a factor in her vote for Spanberger. She stated that she's currently working without receiving a salary, “I can afford (it) just fine,” but also expressed her concern “that it affects so many other people.”
Spanberger's past experience played a significant role in her win. She highlighted her public service and national security qualifications, stemming from her prior role as a CIA case officer. Furthermore, she presented herself as a mother whose daughters attended Virginia's public schools, and as a seasoned Capitol Hill figure who represented a competitive district and collaborated with colleagues from different parties.
The pitch helped the Democratic nominee withstand Earle-Sears’ attacks on cultural issues, notably the Republican’s assertion that Spanberger is an extremist on transgender rights. Spanberger, who consistently argued that local school districts should decide whether transgender students can participate in competitive sports, framed Earle-Sears as more out of step with the middle of the electorate.
Her strategy mirrored the method Democrats employed to gain U.S. House control during the 2018 midterms, midway through Trump's initial term. Spanberger was one of several prominent, centrist Democratic women who leveraged national security or military experience in campaigns within swing districts. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, another of these women, was elected on Tuesday to serve as New Jersey's Democratic governor.
They were presented as models of successful mainstream Democrats during a period when the party's progressive wing has been gaining influence. Zohran Mamdani, who identifies as a democratic socialist, secured the mayoral election in New York on Tuesday.
In Congress, Spanberger was a quiet workhorse
Upon her arrival in Washington, Spanberger initially focused on less prominent matters, such as securing broadband to rural areas, combating drug trafficking, and addressing veterans’ services.. She swiftly gained recognition for her ability to collaborate with members from both sides of the aisle.
Assuming a new position, she'll confront worsening economic forecasts, increasing energy expenses, and escalating joblessness, partly due to the Trump administration's federal cutbacks. However, she'll benefit from a cooperative legislature. Democrats kept their control of the House of Delegates, and the state Senate, also under Democratic leadership, had no elections this year. This allows them to implement numerous proposals that legislators presented to Youngkin, only for him to reject them.
Spanberger secured victory despite an eleventh-hour development that jeopardized Virginia's Democratic slate. In October, media outlets disclosed that Jones had sent texts in 2022 indicating the ex-Republican House leader receive “two bullets to the head.”
Across the nation, Republicans, including Trump and Earle-Sears, called for Jones to withdraw. He offered an apology, expressing shame over the messages, but refused to exit the contest.
Spanberger denounced the text messages but refrained from Demanding Jones' withdrawal from the race, and she notably maintained her endorsement.
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Olivia Diaz serves as a corps member with The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America operates as a nonprofit national service program, deploying journalists to local newsrooms to cover underreported topics. Barrow's reporting originated from Atlanta. Helen Wieffering provided contributions from Arlington, Virginia.