Overview
- Multiple late polls show Abigail Spanberger ahead of Winsome Earle-Sears for governor, including Roanoke College at 51%–41% and a RealClearPolitics average near a 7-point edge, with some surveys tighter.
- Attorney General Jason Miyares has opened a lead over Democrat Jay Jones in recent polling, a shift linked to Jones’s 2022 violent-text messages that he apologized for but which remain a central issue.
- Miyares told WTOP he would seek common ground if voters split their tickets, as surveys point to Democratic strength for governor and a Republican advantage for attorney general.
- A late special legislative session on redistricting required Earle-Sears to preside in the Senate, limiting campaign time; Democrats advanced the amendment as the NDRC contributed $150,000 to Spanberger, and Earle-Sears said the session cost nearly $1 million.
- Early participation is high with about 987,000 ballots cast before Election Day; Virginia offers same-day voter registration, and the AP notes recounts are candidate-initiated if the margin is 1% or less.