Overview
- Democratic state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi defeated Republican John Reid for lieutenant governor, becoming the first Muslim woman elected to statewide office in the U.S. and Virginia’s first Indian American statewide officeholder, according to projections.
- Democrat Jay Jones unseated Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares despite fallout from his 2022 texts, with the Associated Press reporting Jones ahead roughly 53% to 47% with most votes counted.
- Abigail Spanberger beat Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears by a double-digit margin after far out-raising and outspending her opponent and centering her message on affordability, abortion rights and the impact of federal workforce cuts.
- The contests were widely viewed as an early test of President Trump’s second-term agenda; Trump did not endorse Earle-Sears as Spanberger linked GOP policies to economic pain for federal workers.
- Virginia saw unusually high early and absentee turnout for an off-year election, and voter surveys identified the economy as the top concern across the commonwealth.