Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat, is elected as Virginia’s first female governor.

— With her victory over Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears in Tuesday’s Virginia governor’s contest, Democrat Abigail Spanberger became the first woman to lead the commonwealth and gave Democrats a significant boost ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

As the former congresswoman and CIA case officer takes over for departing Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin, Spanberger’s win will reverse party control of the governor’s office. She won by running a campaign that focused on economic issues, which might be a template for other Democrats running in the next elections as they attempt to unseat Republicans and President Donald Trump in Washington and gain momentum in statehouses.

Spanberger spent large quantities of money on advertisements linking Earle-Sears to the president, while she presented well-crafted economic arguments against Trump’s policies throughout the campaign. She ran her campaign throughout the state, including in places that lean Republican. She blasted Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, the U.S. government shutdown, and their detrimental effects on a state that employs hundreds of thousands of federal employees, but she also underlined her support for abortion rights in the last Southern state that has not passed new restrictions or bans on the procedure.

That strategy attracted the swing voters who helped elect Youngkin four years ago while also bringing in Democrats’ core supporters. Additionally, it carried on a long-standing pattern for Virginia: ever since Jimmy Carter was elected president in 1976, the state has supported a governor from the opposing party to the first-term president the year after. The difference in Trump’s words makes this year unique.

Meanwhile, Republicans had to deal with yet another defeat on the battlefield at the hands of a staunch conservative from the president’s party.

Despite his ambivalent support for Earle-Sears, Trump never ran for office. Their tense partnership begs the question of who would make the best Republican contender in a disputed general election and how the president’s erratic popularity could impact GOP candidates in November of next year. In addition to determining whether Republicans retain majority in Washington for the remaining years of Trump’s administration, the midterm elections will decide statehouse control in dozens of states.

Earle-Sears, 61, would have been elected as the United States’ first Black woman governor.

SPANBERGER BALANCED BIOGRAPHY WITH POLICY

In his campaign, 46-year-old Spanberger promised to shield Virginia’s economy from the harsh policies of Trump’s second term, which have included firing federal servants, imposing tariffs, and guiding a reconciliation bill that would have reduced the state’s already precarious health care system.

Sherry Kohan, a 56-year-old accountant who voted at Arlington’s Aurora Hills Library, said she used to identify as a Republican but hasn’t been connected to either party since Trump’s first term. She claimed that by supporting Spanberger, she was voting against Trump.

When Stephanie Uhl, 38, cast her ballot at the Arlington library, which is located across the Potomac from Washington, she was thinking about the federal government shutdown. She also stated that she voted for Spanberger.

Despite her statement that “I can afford (it) just fine,” Uhl was troubled by the fact that “it affects so many other people” while working for the Defense Department without compensation.

Spanberger’s victory was also significantly influenced by her background. She highlighted her national security and public service credentials as a former CIA case officer. Additionally, she positioned herself as a veteran of Capitol Hill who worked across the aisle and represented a swing district, as well as the mother of children who attended Virginia’s public schools.

The Democratic nominee was able to survive Earle-Sears’ attacks on cultural issues thanks to the pitch, particularly the Republican’s claim that Spanberger is an extremist when it comes to civil rights and transgender health care. Spanberger portrayed her opponent as the candidate who was more out of touch with the middle class of Virginia voters. Spanberger has maintained that local school systems should make the decision of whether transgender students should play competitive sports.

Her plan was similar to the one Democrats employed in the 2018 midterm elections, which took place halfway through Trump’s first term, to change control of the U.S. House. In battleground areas, Spanberger was one of several prominent women who contributed military or national security credentials to campaigns. Rep. Mikie Sherrill, another of those women, was running on Tuesday for the Democratic governorship of New Jersey.

In particular, Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist and the party’s contender in Tuesday’s mayoral election in New York, was cited as an example of a successful mainstream Democrat during a period when the party’s left wing has been on the rise.

The spanner was a quiet workhorse, to be honest.

Spanberger focused on less well-known problems when she first arrived in Washington, such as providing broadband to rural regions, combating drug trafficking, and veterans’ programs. She also immediately gained a reputation for cooperating with colleagues from a variety of political backgrounds.

She will have to deal with tighter economic forecasts, increased power bills, and rising unemployment in her new position, which is partly due to the federal contraction under the Trump administration. However, if Democrats can hold onto their majority in the House of Delegates, she may have the benefit of a supportive Legislature. Along with other statewide positions like attorney general and lieutenant governor, all 100 members in that chamber were up for election on Tuesday. This year’s ballot did not include the state Senate, which is likewise controlled by Democrats. Democrats could implement numerous policy demands that lawmakers presented to Youngkin, only for him to veto the laws, if they have the so-called trifecta in Richmond, as Republicans currently do in Washington.

Despite a late surprise that put Virginia’s Democratic ticket in jeopardy, Spanberger prevailed. The Democratic nominee for attorney general, Jay Jones, wrote texts in 2022 suggesting the former Republican House speaker receive “two bullets to the head,” according to news reports in October.

Trump and Earle-Sears were among the Republicans in the United States who called for Jones to resign. Although he declined to withdraw from the event, he expressed regret and claimed he was embarrassed by the messages.

Spanberger was plagued by the controversy. Notably, she did not revoke her endorsement of Jones, and while she denounced the text messages, she refrained from requesting that Jones drop out of the race.

In her one debate with Earle-Sears, Spanberger declared, “I have denounced political violence, political rhetoric, regardless of who is leading the charge.”