Spanberger, a former congresswoman and CIA case officer, won by emphasizing economic issues/
Democrat Abigail Spanberger won the Virginia governor’s race Tuesday, defeating Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears to give Democrats a key victory heading into the 2026 midterm elections and make history as the first woman ever to lead the commonwealth.
Spanberger’s win was the first in a big night for Democrats in Virginia and around the country, casting new doubts about President Donald Trump’s political strength less than a year into his second White House 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.”
Also Tuesday, Democrat Ghazala F. Hashmi won the lieutenant governor’s race and will succeed Earle-Sears. Hashmi is the first Muslim woman to win a statewide office in the U.S. And in a night of firsts, Democratic challenger Jay Jones defeated Republican Jason Miyares to become the state’s first Black attorney general and complete a Democratic sweep of the commonwealth’s statewide posts. Democrats also retained control of the state legislature.
Spanberger, a former congresswoman and CIA case officer, won by emphasizing economic issues, a strategy that may serve as a model for other Democrats in next year’s elections as they try to break Republicans’ hold on power in Washington and gain ground in statehouses.
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.”
Spanberger’s eyes welled up as she told her family she loved them. Her husband and three daughters, standing behind her, wiped tears from their cheeks.
Throughout the campaign, Spanberger made carefully crafted economic arguments against Trump’s policies, while she spent considerable sums on ads tying Earle-Sears to the president. She campaigned across the state, including in Republican-leaning areas, and in her first appearance as governor-elect she wore a bright red suit.
Yet Spanberger also emphasized her support for abortion rights in the last Southern state that has not enacted new restrictions or bans on the procedure, and she railed against Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, the U.
