Democrats sweep Virginia's statewide offices, expand House majority

VPM | By Jahd Khalil

Published November 4, 2025 at 8:08 PM EST

Democrat Abigail Spanberger, the apparent winner of Virginia's gubernatorial election, takes the stage to address supporters at an election watch party on Tuesday, November 4, 2025 in Richmond.

This is a developing story. Check back for further updates.

Abigail Spanberger will become the first woman to be Virginia's governor, according to an Associated Press race call.

The AP made the call at 7:59 p.m. — Spanberger had a 55–45 lead with 35% of votes counted. Election results are unofficial until certified.

Spanberger was elected as the US representative for the 7th Congressional District in 2018, reelected twice, and chose not to run for reelection in 2024.

From 2019 to 2022, she represented a swath of Central Virginia stretching from Nottoway County to Culpeper County, but after redistricting in 2022, her district shifted north into the I-95 corridor, and she beat expectations in an election that saw Republicans retake control of the US House. She was formerly a CIA officer and a postal inspector before she returned back to Henrico, where she grew up.

She defeated Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, who pitched her candidacy as a continuation of Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin's administration — despite her role in day-to-day policymaking being unclear.

Republican Lt. Gov. candidate John Reid joins Republican gubernatorial candidate Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, Attorney General Jason Miyares, who is running for re-election, and Gov. Glenn Youngkin on stage during a voting rally on Sunday, November 2, 2025 at Hanover County Administration Building in Hanover, Virginia.

Based on reported vote totals, Spanberger appears to be on track to surpass former Vice President Kamala Harris's victory in Virginia in the 2024 presidential election. Harris won the commonwealth with 51.6% of the vote, though Donald Trump ultimately returned to office for his second term.

Spanberger will come into office in January, as Virginia's economy is exposed to a number of challenges due to federal policy changes. The Republican-led Congress has passed legislation that removes billions of dollars in food assistance and healthcare subsidies, and a tax law that could lead to $2 billion less in federal tax collections.

Virginia's 322,000 federal workers are also under pressure, as a federal government shutdown is in its 35th day — tied for the longest shutdown ever, as of Tuesday — and the Virginia Employment Commission believes as many as 2,100 federal workers have applied for unemployment benefits because of a furlough (those claims need to be confirmed by the agency).

Spanberger maintained her margin throughout the race, despite a texting scandal down-ballot and a controversial redistricting move by General Assembly Democrats. It's unclear if those issues, or the ongoing shutdown, affected the race.

Spanberger raised just under $66 million in support as of Oct. 23, almost twice as much as Earle-Sears raised, according to statistics published by the Virginia Public Access Project.

At the polls on Tuesday, voters pointed to Spanberger's opposition to Washington and support for education as reasons they supported her.

Jennifer Kelsey-Backus was one of a steady stream of voters in Central Virginia's Henrico County. Kelsey-Backus also said education was a prime concern of hers, but she was also voting for Spanberger because she's unhappy with the Trump administration.

"She has come out against the government shutdown and how it's affecting Virginians, not only in Richmond, but also Northern Virginia, which I grew up in," she said.