Virginia voters headed to the polls Tuesday in a history-making race for governor that’s being closely watched as a test of both President Donald Trump’s influence and Democrats’ ability to recover politically under his second administration.
According to The Associated Press, the contest pits Republican Winsome Earle-Sears, the state’s lieutenant governor and a staunch conservative, against Democrat Abigail Spanberger, a centrist former CIA officer who helped Democrats flip the House during Trump’s first presidency.
Whoever wins will become the first woman to lead Virginia — and if it’s Earle-Sears, she’ll also be the first Black woman ever elected governor in any U.S. state.
The high-stakes race to replace outgoing GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin has drawn national attention as the first major statewide test since Trump’s return to the White House — and as the country weathers a prolonged government shutdown and sweeping executive actions that have reshaped Washington.
“For Republicans, Earle-Sears represents whether a Trump-style conservative — without his full-throated backing — can win in a purple state,” one strategist said. “For Democrats, Spanberger’s campaign is a test of whether moderation still sells.”
Spanberger, who left Congress to run for governor, has leaned into voter frustration with the economy and what she calls Trump’s “recklessness and heartlessness.”
“With the political turmoil coming out of Washington right now, this election is an opportunity,” Spanberger said on her final campaign stop. “Virginia voters can and will send a message.”
Earle-Sears, meanwhile, has cast the race as a fight for Virginia’s values — and didn’t hold back in her attacks.
“Abigail Spanberger represents the darkness,” she told supporters at a rally over the weekend.
Trump has offered only lukewarm support for Earle-Sears, avoiding her name during a last-minute telephone town hall Monday night. The lieutenant governor, once hesitant to back Trump’s return to power, has since embraced his policy agenda but kept her distance from his campaign theatrics — instead focusing her closing message on parental rights, public safety, and cultural flashpoints.
Spanberger, by contrast, has hammered Earle-Sears on abortion rights, highlighting Virginia’s position as the last Southern state where abortion remains unrestricted.
At a polling site in Arlington, Stephanie Uhl, 38, said the ongoing shutdown weighed heavily on her decision.
“I can afford [to work without pay] just fine,” said Uhl, a Defense Department employee. “But it affects so many other people.”
She said she voted for Spanberger but skipped the Democratic attorney general candidate, Jay Jones, after reports surfaced of violent text messages he sent about state lawmakers.
The race — along with contests for lieutenant governor, attorney general, and all 100 seats in the House of Delegates — will determine whether Virginia remains a Democratic stronghold or swings back toward the GOP under Trump’s shadow.
With both parties claiming the election as a national bellwether, Virginia’s results may offer an early preview of the political climate heading into the 2026 midterms — and signal just how much sway Trump still holds beyond Washington.
