Abigail Spanberger won a historic election to become Virginia’s first female governor and led a Democratic sweep of statewide races in a pivotal election ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
Down ballot, Democrat Jay Jones won the attorney general race and Democratic state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi won the lieutenant governor race.
The candidates’ wins dashed Republican hopes of maintaining power in all three top offices, currently led by Gov. Glenn Youngkin alongside Attorney General Jason Miyares and Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, who both lost their campaigns.
Spanberger, a former congresswoman, won 57.2% of the vote and Earle-Sears fell behind with 42%, according to The Associated Press, with about 96% of votes counted as of 3 p.m.
In the lieutenant governor race, Hashmi walked away with 55.2% of the vote, while Republican radio host John Reid fell behind with 44.5%, The Associated Press reported at 3 p.m. with an estimated 96% of votes counted. Hashmi will succeed Earle-Sears as the new lieutenant governor.
Jones’ victory squashed Miyares’ bid for a second term as Virginia’s top prosecutor.
The Democratic challenger prevailed over the incumbent despite controversy surrounding resurfaced text messages referencing political violence. Jones pulled ahead winning 52.7% of the vote while Miyares earned 46.9%, The Associated Press reported at 3 p.m. with 96% of votes counted.
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The results also mark a major victory for Democrats in an election that both parties have viewed as a bellwether for the midterm elections in 2026.
Virginia’s election is also treated by analysts as a measure of voter attitudes amid a lengthy government shutdown during President Donald Trump’s second term in office.
Outside the statewide races, all 100 seats in Virginia’s House of Delegates were up for grabs Tuesday — Democrats are projected to maintain their majority in the lower chamber.
A moderate approach wins a high-stakes governor’s race
The governor’s race was called in favor of Spanberger about one hour after polls closed.
Spanberger delivered a victory speech in Richmond on Tuesday night, touching on topics such as education, abortion rights and the federal workforce.
“We sent a message to every corner of the Commonwealth, a message to our neighbors and our fellow Americans across the country,” Spanberger told a crowd of supporters. “We sent a message to the whole world that in 2025, Virginia chose pragmatism over partisanship. We chose our Commonwealth over chaos.”
Supporters at the celebration in the state’s capital shared their excitement with WTOP’s Scott Gelman.
“This is history, the first woman governor in Virginia, and the right person to do the job,” said Monica Lucus, of Richmond. “I think it’s time for a change, and this is a burst of energy that the country needs, not just Virginia but the country.”
After losing the governor’s race, Earle-Sears said she left a voicemail for Spanberger to wish her success.
“I asked her to support policies that will unite us, that will not divide us, that will strengthen our families and keep us safe, and that if I can ever be of help doing that, I’m here,” Earle-Sears said at her campaign headquarters in Stafford County.
Surveys showed Spanberger carried a commanding lead over Earle-Sears in the weeks leading up to Election Day.
Spanberger had also far outraised her Republican opponent, bringing in more than $65 million compared to Earle-Sears’ $35 million, according to recent campaign finance reports shared by the Virginia Public Access Project.
Though the election guaranteed to name the state’s first woman as governor, neither candidate made the race’s historic nature a focal point of their campaigns, instead focusing on topics such as the economy.
Spanberger, a former CIA case officer and member of Congress, had said the election is about the struggles of everyday voters, including those impacted by cuts to the federal workforce or tariffs. She took a more moderate approach and avoided talking about Trump.
Earle-Sears drew attention to transgender students in public schools and reducing the cost of living. Before taking office as lieutenant governor, Earle-Sears served in the U.S. Marine Corps and in the Virginia House of Delegates during the early 2000s.
Attorney general race stirred up old texts
Jones thanked Miyares for his service as attorney general and praised his own supporters.
“To the folks who stood by us every single step of the way, labor. We love you,” Jones said during a speech in Richmond. “The weight of that trust is not lost on me at all, nor is the history that led us to this moment right here. My ancestors were slaves. My grandfather was a civil rights pioneer who braved Jim Crow. My father, my mother, my uncles, my aunts endured segregation all so that I could stand here before you today.”
In the final weeks before Election Day, the attorney general race spotlighted old text messages sent by Jones that showed he fantasized about political violence toward a former colleague.
Jones has apologized for those texts, but they sparked pushback from the GOP nationwide, and Republicans called for the Democratic nominee to drop out of the race.
During the candidates’ debate, Jones attempted to refocus the race on Trump and said Miyares couldn’t push back on overreach from the White House.
Miyares had argued that Jones is unqualified and pressed him on the text messages.
But during a speech Tuesday night, he wished Jones the best and reflected on his time as attorney general.
“The attorney general’s office we inherited was weak and a soft office focused more on politics, but we made it focused on where the victims should always come first, where crime fighting was our number one priority, and public safety was the objective,” Miyares said of his time in office.
Lieutenant governor’s race makes history
Hashmi will take over the lieutenant governor position from Earle-Sears, who opted against running for reelection and instead campaigned for governor.
Hashmi is the first Indian American to win statewide office in Virginia. She will also be the country’s first Muslim woman in statewide office.
“I know that many of us feel as if the nation is in the midst of challenges that are much deeper and more intense than those we have faced before, and that it will take us generations to repair,” Hashmi told a crowd in Richmond. “But let us not forget that the challenges we endure today are not entirely new, and they can be navigated.”
Hashmi talked about her legislative priorities with WTOP’s Michelle Basch and John Domen on Wednesday morning, including improving education and responding to impacts of the government shutdown.
Before being elected to the Virginia General Assembly, Hashmi was an academic administrator. She has pushed for issues such as reproductive health care, gun violence protection and the economy.
Polls had leaned in favor of Hashmi, with a slight lead of around two points over Reid in recent weeks. Both candidates are based out of the Richmond area.
Reid has also spotlighted the economy in his campaign, along with law enforcement, parental rights and immigration enforcement.
Early in his career, Reid worked as an intern for President Ronald Reagan. He has served as chief communications officer for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, a veterans organization, according to his website.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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