Spanberger wins Virginia governor's race

Former Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) defeated Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears (R) in Virginia’s gubernatorial election on Tuesday, according to Decision Desk HQ, becoming the first woman to serve as governor of the commonwealth. 

Her victory in the closely watched bellwether state will be touted by the Democrats' moderate wing in particular, as the party wrestles with how to define itself heading into next year's midterm elections.

Spanberger first came onto the political scene in 2018 when she ousted former Republican Rep. Dave Brat in the state’s 7th Congressional District. She served in Congress, where she had a history of working with Republicans, from 2019 to the beginning of 2025. 

Spanberger’s gubernatorial campaign kicked off two years ago, and while there was speculation Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.) was considering a run as well, the former congresswoman went unchallenged in the primary. 

Her campaign was defined by its highly disciplined nature, with Spanberger staying focused on her affordability message and defending Virginia from the impacts of President Trump’s cuts to the federal workforce. 

Spanberger also touted her background as a former intelligence officer. Her closing ad also touted her law enforcement and public service experience.

“I followed my parents into public service. My mom was a nurse, my dad worked in federal law enforcement, and I did too — going after drug rings and child abusers, and then at CIA, terrorists,” she said in the ad. 

But the campaign cycle was not without its challenges for Spanberger. The Democratic ticket was roiled last month when texts sent by Democratic attorney general nominee Jay Jones in 2022 surfaced, in which Jones openly talked about shooting then-Virginia state House Speaker Todd Gilbert (R). 

While Spanberger swiftly condemned the texts and said she conveyed her “disgust” with Jones, Republicans, including Trump and Earle-Sears, used the scandal to attack her. 

Earle-Sears brought up the scandal on stage during the first and only gubernatorial debate. 

Spanberger largely kept her distance from Jones for the remainder of the campaign. While polling significantly narrowed in the attorney general race, Spanberger consistently maintained a wide lead over Earle-Sears.