RICHMOND, Virginia — Former Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger defeated Republican candidate Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears Tuesday night to become Virginia’s first female governor in the commonwealth’s history.
The Associated Press called the race at 7:59 p.m., almost one hour after polls closed at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Spanberger flipped the governor’s mansion blue four years after Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) won the gubernatorial race in 2021, the first time a Republican had won since 2009.
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Supporters of Spanberger burst into cheers and applause as outlets called the race for her at the Greater Richmond Convention Center within an hour of polls closing. Spanberger thanked supporters for boosting her to the governor’s mansion during her victory speech.
“We sent a message to every corner of the Commonwealth, a message to our neighbors and our fellow Americans across the country. We sent a message to the whole world that in 2025, Virginia chose pragmatism over partisanship. We chose our Commonwealth over chaos,” Spanberger said.
The governor-elect also thanked the woman whose shoulders she stands on during her speech. “The history Virginia is making tonight is yours, and I thank those who have come before me,” Spanberger said. “Mary Sue Terry in Virginia. She was the first woman elected statewide in Virginia.”
Spanberger’s husband and three daughters burst into tears onstage as she thanked them for their support. Her history-making campaign excited the crowd, who repeatedly interrupted the speech with cheers.
“It is the honor of my lifetime to be elected the 75th governor,” Spanberger said before the crowd burst into applause.
Spanberger also acknowledged Earle-Sears’s loss and called for her supporters to respect the outgoing lieutenant governor.
“I would like to thank my opponent for a hard-fought race,” Spanberger said, drawing some applause from the crowd.
Earle-Sears deserved “our respect and our gratitude,” for her years of service, Spanberger added.
In Leesburg, Virginia, supporters of Earle-Sears watched in uneasy silence as Fox News projected Democrat Abigail Spanberger the winner of the governor’s race.
Moments earlier, campaign staff had cut the audio from the live election results and turned on music when it became clear the night wasn’t going their way. When Spanberger’s name appeared on the screen, the crowd erupted in boos, some shaking their heads, others staring down at their phones.
Clusters of attendees stayed at their tables, scrolling through their phones or talking in hushed tones, waiting to see Earle-Sears make an appearance.
At one table, Caroline Chopek, 72, a retired Republican activist from Fauquier County, said she couldn’t understand the outcome. “I thought I was moving to a red state 23 years ago,” she said. “Youngkin’s done a good job, the state’s in good shape, people are getting refunds. I don’t know why people want to change that.”
Across the room, Richard Eagan, 78, a retired Army Command Sergeant Major from Mineral, took the loss with military calm. “You figure out what went wrong, start over at the grassroots, and rebuild,” he said. “That’s how you recover from any mission that doesn’t go your way.”
The former Democratic representative headed into Election Day with momentum on her side. Spanberger led Earle-Sears in both polling and fundraising throughout the entire 2025 cycle.
Spanberger spent the majority of her campaign attacking Republicans over President Donald Trump’s second administration and its effect on Virginia, specifically the Department of Government Efficiency’s gutting of the federal workforce.
“These are attacks on Virginians and on our economy, and we need a governor who will stand up against them,” Spanberger said at a rally with former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
The government shutdown only added more fuel to Spanberger’s message that Virginia needed new leadership to guide the Old Dominion back into prosperity.
Several high-profile Democrats came to Spanberger’s aid in the final weeks of the campaign cycle, including former President Barack Obama, as well as former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
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The Democratic National Committee poured in more than $3 million in Virginia’s off-year elections, while the Democratic Governors Association contributed at least $5 million. Ken Martin, chairman of the DNC, claimed that wins in Virginia and New Jersey, the other state holding a gubernatorial election this year, would be “a shot in the arm for Democrats,” during a call with reporters.
The Virginia race is largely seen as a political bellwether ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Youngkin’s win in 2021 foreshadowed the GOP snatching back control of the House in 2022 and Trump’s win in 2024.
