Spanberger wins Virginia governorship, flipping state to Democrats

By Ahmet Salih Alacaci

WASHINGTON (AA) - Abigail Spanberger won the Virginia governor’s race on Tuesday, beating Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears to flip the state to Democrat and become the first woman to hold the position, according to The Associated Press.

With more than half the votes counted, Spanberger held a substantial lead of over 10% over Earle-Sears, who trailed at under 45%. US President Donald Trump had lost Virginia by six points to then-Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 race.

The Associated Press called the race at 7.59 pm local time (0059GMT Wednesday).

The result handed Democrats a significant victory ahead of key midterm elections in 2026 as the 46-year-old former lawmaker and CIA official will replace outgoing Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin following an economy-focused campaign.

Polls closed and ballot-counting commenced at 7 pm local time (0000GMT) in Virginia, one of the two bellwether states holding an off-year gubernatorial race.

In the other, New Jersey, voting ended an hour later and vote counting continues.

Besides the governor's election, state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi defeated John Reid in the Virginia lieutenant governor’s competition, becoming the first Indian American and first Muslim to win statewide office in Virginia.