Overview
- Decision Desk HQ and major outlets projected Abigail Spanberger to defeat Winsome Earle-Sears, making Spanberger Virginia’s first female governor and returning the office to Democratic control.
- Ghazala Hashmi was projected to win the lieutenant governor race over John Reid, which would mark the first time a Muslim woman is elected to statewide office in U.S. history.
- State officials reported robust participation with roughly 1.4 million early ballots cast, intensifying attention on final tallies down the ballot.
- The attorney general contest drew unusual scrutiny after Democrat Jay Jones’ 2022 violent texts surfaced, with Republican incumbent Jason Miyares urging split-ticket voting as campaigns reoriented late messaging.
- Spanberger’s affordability message and opposition to federal workforce cuts and the shutdown contrasted with Earle-Sears’ culture‑war themes and lack of a Trump endorsement, a dynamic seen as a key early test of national political currents heading into 2026.