No matter who is victorious this evening, it’s a historic Election Day for Virginia, with potentially barrier-breaking candidates throughout the ballot.
Whether Democrat former Rep. Abigail Spanberger or Republican candidate Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears wins tonight, a woman will serve as the next governor of Virginia, a first for the state.
“It’s not just since the United States was in existence, it’s since Virginia’s been in existence. So add a couple hundred more years,” said Dr. John Augenbach, a political professor at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). “It wasn’t until we moved into the 1970s and 80s that we actually got female candidates running for the position.”
Spanberger is a moderate Democrat who had a bipartisan streak while serving in Congress. She has run a campaign focused on the cost of living, particularly on keeping medical costs affordable for Virginia families and making homeownership more accessible.
President Donald Trump endorsed Earle-Sears, a Black woman, Jamaican immigrant and Marine Corps veteran who is most known for her opposition to LGBTQ+ issues. During an October gubernatorial debate, she stated that firing employees for their sexual or gender identity was “not discrimination.” She has also advocated for tax cuts and supports the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies.
In January, the race was roughly tied; however, in the closing weeks, Spanberger’s lead has grown, with an October Emerson College poll showing the former congresswoman leading by double digits.
A late October poll by Virginia State University (VSU) showed African American voters overwhelmingly favoring Democratic candidates, including 94.9% support for Spanberger contrasted with 3.4% support for Earle-Sears.
“What this data shows is both encouraging and instructive,” said Dr. Wes Bellamy, chair of the VSU political science department. “Black Virginians remain deeply loyal to the Democratic Party — but younger voters are signaling a desire to be seen and heard on their own terms. That doesn’t mean they’re turning Republican; it means they’re evolving politically. The smart campaigns will engage that evolution rather than ignore it.”
National figures are weighing in on the gubernatorial elections in Virginia and New Jersey, which often serve as an early bellwether of national political attitudes in the lead-up to the midterm elections. Former President Barack Obama (D) campaigned for Spanberger in Virginia and Democratic gubernatorial nominee Mikie Sherrill in New Jersey as Election Day drew closer.
“There is absolutely no evidence Republicans’ policies have made life better for you, the people of Virginia,” Obama said at the Spanberger campaign rally on Nov. 1. “They have devoted enormous energy trying to entrench themselves in power and punishing their enemies and enriching their friends and silencing their critics.”
Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General Races Heat Up
While Spanberger has maintained a pretty steady, but tightening lead on Earle-Sears, the other races appear to be much closer.
In the lieutenant governor’s race, state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi (D- District 15) has retained a narrow lead over talk show host John Reid, an openly gay conservative.
Hashmi advocates for proper funding of child care and education to provide better opportunities while Reid emphasizes low taxes and deregulation as his strategy to grow Virginia’s economy. Reid has said he would vote against amending the Virginia Constitution to enshrine reproductive rights and same-sex marriage.
Recently, Reid was linked to social media accounts promoting Nazi imagery.
“I am truly appalled by the vile and disturbing content described in this article,” said Hashmi in a statement to WJLA7News following the publicizing of Reid’s controversy. “This content and engagement with it reflect an appalling acceptance of hate and dehumanization.”
If Hashmi is elected, she would be the first Muslim and first Indian-American elected to statewide office in Virginia.
“We all have a responsibility to call out racism and extremism when we see it — not only to protect our communities,” she said, “but to build a future rooted in compassion, equity, and shared humanity.”
The race between Del. Jay Jones (D) and incumbent Attorney General Jason Miyares (R) remains the closest competition of the Virginia election.
Jones pledges to protect reproductive and voting rights, and keep illegal firearms off the streets.
Miyares, the first Latino to be elected statewide in Virginia, has spotlighted his crime reduction record during his re-election campaign. He has also supported Trump’s troop deployment in Los Angeles.
Jones recently expressed regret following the release of violent text messages in the last month of the campaign.
Virginia Commonwealth University’s L. Douglas Wilder School of Public Policy and Government Affairs, named for the first Black Governor of Virginia, released a poll in mid-October showing a wide lead for Spanberger, but close contests for the other executive offices on the ballot.
“Our school’s poll results reflect little change in the race for governor, though the lead for Democrats has narrowed. The race for lieutenant governor shows Reid within one percentage point of Hashmi. The attorney general’s race shows Miyares moving into the lead over Jones,” said Gov. Wilder on Oct. 23. “These results highlight that, with several weeks to go before the election, voters are paying attention to what the candidates are doing — and what they have done — as a precursor to what they will do if elected.”
Early Voters Weigh In at the Polls
As a Black Virginian, Gregory Gordon emphasized why voting matters so much to him, not just in this election, but always.
“People died for my rights, so I’m going to exercise my right to vote,” said Gordon at an early voting site in Prince William County.
Similarly to Gordon, Angela Hudson was inspired by her ancestors when taking to the polling booths, having learned about the importance of democracy from her grandmother, who was involved in the Civil Rights Movement. “I’m here to vote in Virginia because I’m not happy about what’s going on in the White House right now, and if I don’t vote there is no reason to complain,” said Hudson. “My grandmother instilled in us that it was very important to vote as our ancestors died for this right.”
While Gordon and Hudson were driven to vote, considering the contributions of their forefathers and foremothers, Margie Oden said she exercised her civic duty out of concern for future generations.
“The things that benefit us are being taken away, and I’m saddened about that,” Ogden told The Informer on Nov. 1, the day early voting closed in Virginia. “America is meant to be for everyone, not a dictatorship. America is for us all.”
