Democrat Abigail Spanberger has stormed to victory in Virginia‘s gubernatorial race, securing a decisive win that serves as a pointed brushback to Donald Trump‘s second term.
The former congresswoman and ex-CIA officer handily defeated Republican Winsome Earle-Sears, the incumbent lieutenant governor of Virginia, according to the Associated Press.
Spanberger is set to become the first female governor in Virginia history, succeeding Glenn Youngkin, who rode frustration with the Biden administration to power back in 2021.
Spanberger’s victory stands as a significant boost for Democrats in a state that has become increasingly competitive in recent years.
Virginia’s off-year gubernatorial elections are often seen as bellwethers for national political sentiment, and Spanberger’s comfortable margin over Earle-Sears suggests Democrats may be better positioned heading into next year’s midterm elections, which will help determine the trajectory of the final years of Trump’s presidency.
The stench of Earle-Sears’ candidacy was felt inside the White House. Notably, neither the president or Vice President JD Vance ever set foot in the state to campaign or even to hold a fundraiser for Sears.
Meanwhile, top Democrats stepped in to boost Spanberger. Former President Barack Obama rallied with her in Norfolk, Virginia, this past Saturday, while former President Bill Clinton and First Lady and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton headlined a fundraiser for Spanberger last month.
Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger arrives at a rally at Virginia Commonwealth University on November 3, 2025 in Richmond, Virginia
Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, joined by her husband Adam, places an order as she visits the world’s biggest Arby’s restaurant on October 31, 2025 in Colonial Heights, Virginia
Signs line the walkways for candidates in the 2025 Virginia election at the Fairfax County Government Center polling place in Fairfax, Virginia, USA, 04 November 2025. The Virginia gubernatorial race has gained national attention as a testing ground for both parties ahead of next year’s national midterm election
Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger and her husband Adam Spanberger share a milkshake as they visit the world’s biggest Arby’s restaurant on October 31, 2025 in Colonial Heights, Virginia
That event, hosted by former Virginia Democrat Governor Terry McAuliffe at his home, pulled in a record-breaking $2.2 million. The gathering drew more than 350 donors and became the ‘largest gubernatorial fundraiser in Virginia history,’ according to Politico.
High fundraising and unbalanced spending undoubtedly played a role in the results of the Virginia governor’s race.
Earle-Sears was handily out-raised, with Spanberger pulling in over $65 million to her opponents’ $35 million, per the Virginia Public Access Project.
Most of those dollars were spent on advertising, with Sears being outspent by $25.6 million, $51.9 million to $26.3 million.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Winsome Earle-Sears speaks during a rally at the Buckland Farm Market on October 29, 2025 in New Baltimore, Virginia
Democratic strategist Mally Smith, former senior political and coalitions Advisor for the Kamala Harris campaign in North Carolina, told the Daily Mail Tuesday afternoon that he has been ‘hearing rural Republican turnout is incredibly low in Virginia.’
‘If this continues to hold true, Democrats are going to have a great night up and down the ballot,’ Smith added at the time.
Earle-Sears broke with Trump after the 2020 election, and he seems to have never forgiven her. In 2022, Sears said that voters want a different leader from Trump, and even called the then-former president a ‘liability to the mission.’
Back in August, numerous longtime Republican players in Virginia privately told the Daily Mail that they had serious doubts about Earle-Sears’s ability to emerge victorious in November.
One GOP operative told the Daily Mail under the condition of anonymity that ‘this is 100 percent Glenn Youngkin’s fault for clearing the field by endorsing her right after the 2024 election.’
The operative also noted that there were real conversations about potential primary challengers to Sears, which the governor worked to keep at bay.
The last time a Republican candidate won the Virginia governor’s race while there was a Republican in the White House was 1973, when Mills E. Godwin Jr. captured the governorship during Richard Nixon’s presidency.
