Virginia voters are deciding their next governor and several other statewide contests in Tuesday’s election. Follow this page for live election results.
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Virginia voters are deciding their next governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and the makeup of the lower chamber of the state legislature in an election Tuesday that observers nationwide are watching closely to determine which political party has momentum heading into the 2026 midterms.
Polls opened Tuesday at 6 a.m. Live results below will begin updating after polls close at 7 p.m.
There’s also a slew of local races in jurisdictions across Northern Virginia that will determine town mayors, school board members, city council members and more.
Polls are open in Virginia in an election to decide the state’s next governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, House of Delegates and local offices across the commonwealth.
Polls are open in Virginia in an election to decide the state’s next governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, House of Delegates and local offices across the commonwealth.
Observers across the nation have their eyes on Tuesday’s election to determine if the results indicate momentum toward one party or the other heading into next year’s midterm elections, which will decide the balance of power in Congress.
Virginia’s race for governor has pitted the current Republican lieutenant governor, Winsome Earle-Sears, against Democratic former U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger.
There’s plenty of intrigue in the commonwealth’s other statewide races, too. Democrat Ghazala Hashmi and Republican John Reid are vying to be Virginia’s next lieutenant governor in a race that’s shaping up to be the closest of the statewide contests.
And the race that’s grabbed the most headlines in recent weeks is the one for attorney general, after texts sent by Democratic nominee Jay Jones surfaced in which Jones hypothesized about shooting a political rival.
That controversy has opened the door to the possibility of a split administration, as Spanberger is favored in the governor’s race, but the controversy has propelled incumbent Attorney General and Republican Jason Miyares to a lead in many polls to retain his position.
All 100 seats in Virginia’s House of Delegates are also on the ballot, though some are not contested. Democrats have a slim 51-48 majority headed into Tuesday, with one current vacancy.
Democrats also carry a majority in the Virginia State Senate; the 40 seats in the upper chamber are on the ballot in 2027.
Before Election Day, hundreds of thousands of Virginians voted early. According to the Virginia Public Access Project, a record number of early ballots were cast for a non-presidential election in Virginia.
What to know about casting a ballot
Polls close at 7 p.m. Anyone in line to vote at that time will still be able to do so.
All voters need to provide an acceptable form of ID, sign an ID confirmation statement at the polls or vote with a provisional ballot. Those who vote a provisional ballot will have until noon on the Friday after the election to deliver a copy of their ID to their jurisdiction’s election board or sign a confirmation statement in order for their ballot to be counted.
WTOP will report results live as soon as they start coming in shortly after the polls close.
Voters hit the polls
Chelsea Lamm went to the polls early Tuesday morning and said helping others in need was top on her mind.
“Just how can we be fair and think about everybody instead of just ourselves and what our own religious beliefs are,” she said.
Voter Matthew Ziegler said he had several big topics on his mind when walking into the voting booth Tuesday.
“The general safety of the population, unnecessary taxes, the car tax, that’s been ridiculous for years to be honest, and other issues of course the economy in mind as well across the entire state,” he said.
Nader Chaaban said taxes were a big issue for him as he stepped up to vote.
“Honestly I wish that they would get rid of the car tax, that’s a killer right there,” Chaaban said. “You pay a property tax, you pay a food tax, you pay for everything and then they come back and they tax you on the car that you’ve already paid taxes on,” he said.
Voting in the historic Virginia governor’s race
Lamm said when it comes to the governor’s race, she’s made up her mind.
“I’m definitely voting Spanberger … especially as we’re seeing the government shutdown and SNAP benefits come into question for a lot of folks whether you’re voting Republican or Democrat, and so just how can I vote to take care of other people,” she said.
Ziegler said, for governor, he’s voting, “Winsome-Sears, she has a lot of great leadership qualities, confidence, she knows what she’s talking about and is concerned about all of the safety issues and especially with the economy she really stood out to me this year.”
When it comes to the government shutdown, Ziegler said he trusts Winsome-Sears to get the state through the difficult times.
“I think that will be something that she’ll definitely work on and sway to connect across the entire population of Virginia,” Ziegler said.
Chaaban said Spanberger “to a certain extent appeals to some of the things that I believe in and one of them honestly is looking at the educational system and supporting it and helping teachers, helping the school system.”
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Nearly ten months into President Donald Trump’s second term in the White House, voters in contests from coast-to-coast head to the polls on Tuesday in statewide and local elections.
And the key showdowns, including gubernatorial elections in New Jersey and Virginia, are viewed, in part, as the first major ballot box test of Trump’s unprecedented and explosive second-term agenda.
“FAILING TO VOTE TOMORROW IS THE SAME AS VOTING FOR A DEMOCRAT,” the president charged in a social media post on Election Eve as he urged Republicans to head to the polls.
Grabbing top billing are New Jersey and Virginia, the only two states to hold contests for governor in the year after a presidential election. Their gubernatorial races typically receive outsized national attention and are seen as a key barometer ahead of next year’s midterms when the GOP will be defending its slim House and Senate majorities.
President Donald Trump, seen speaking at a rally in Wildwood, New Jersey on May 11, 2024, during the last presidential campaign, headlined tele-rallies in the Garden State and in Virginia on the eve of those states’ gubernatorial elections.(Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Also in the political spotlight on Election Day 2025 is New York City’s high-profile mayoral showdown, where 34-year-old democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani is on the verge of making history, the blockbuster ballot box proposition over congressional redistricting in California, the nation’s most populous state and three state Supreme Court contests in battleground Pennsylvania.
Here’s what’s at stake.
New Jersey
Republican Jack Ciattarelli, who’s making his third straight run for Garden State governor and who nearly upset Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy four years ago, is optimistic he can pull off a victory in blue-leaning New Jersey.
In a state where registered Democrats still outnumber Republicans despite a GOP surge in registration this decade, Ciattarelli appeared to be closing the gap in recent weeks with Democratic rival Rep. Mikie Sherrill.
While Democrats have long dominated federal and state legislative elections in New Jersey, Republicans are very competitive in gubernatorial contests, winning five out of the past 10 elections.
And Trump made major gains in New Jersey in last year’s presidential election, losing the state by only six percentage points, a major improvement over his 16-point deficit four years earlier.
Republican gubernatorial nominee Jack Ciattarelli speaks to supporters at a tavern in Totowa, New Jersey, on Election Day eve, on Nov. 3, 2025(Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
The president, whose poll numbers are underwater among New Jersey voters, headlined two tele-rallies for Ciattarelli in the final stretch of the campaign in hopes of energizing MAGA supporters, many of whom are low propensity voters who often skip casting ballots in non-presidential election years.
“We appreciate what the president is doing to get the base excited, and remind them that they got to vote, as do all New Jerseyans. The future of our state hangs in the balance. Get out and vote,” Ciattarelli told Fox News Digital on Monday after a campaign stop in this northern New Jersey borough.
But in a state where Trump’s poll numbers are underwater, Sherrill has regularly linked Ciattarelli to the president, charging that her GOP rival “has really gone in lockstep with the president, giving him an A.”
The race in New Jersey was rocked earlier this autumn by a report that the National Personnel Records Center, which is a branch of the National Archives and Records Administration, mistakenly released Sherrill’s improperly redacted military personnel files, which included private information like her Social Security number, to a Ciattarelli ally.
Former President Barack Obama during a campaign event for Rep. Mikie Sherrill, the Democratic gubernatorial nominee for New Jersey, in Newark, New Jersey, on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025.(Adam Gray/Getty Images)
But Sherrill’s military records indicated that the United States Naval Academy blocked her from taking part in her 1994 graduation amid a cheating scandal.
Sherrill, who was never accused of cheating in the scandal, went on to serve nearly a decade in the Navy.
The showdown was jolted again during last month’s final debate after Sherrill’s allegations that Ciattarelli was “complicit” with pharmaceutical companies in the opioid deaths of tens of thousands of New Jerseyans, as she pointed to the medical publishing company he owned that pushed content promoting the use of opioids as a low-risk treatment for chronic pain.
Virginia
Explosive revelations in Virginia’s attorney general race that the GOP aimed to leverage up and down the ballot recently shook up the state’s race for governor, forcing Democratic Party nominee, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, back on defense in a campaign where she was seen as the frontrunner against Republican rival Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears.
The two major party gubernatorial nominees in Virginia: Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, left, and Democrat former Rep. Abigail Spanberger.(Getty Images)
Virginia attorney general Democratic nominee Jay Jones was in crisis mode after controversial texts were first reported earlier this fall by the National Review.
Jones acknowledged and apologized for texts he sent in 2022, when he compared then-Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert to mass murderers Adolf Hitler and Pol Pot, adding that if he was given two bullets, he would use both against the GOP lawmaker to shoot him in the head.
But he faced a chorus of calls from Republicans to drop out of the race.
Earle-Sears didn’t waste an opportunity to link Spanberger to Jones. And during last month’s chaotic and only gubernatorial debate, where Earle-Sears repeatedly interrupted Spanberger, the GOP gubernatorial nominee called on her Democratic rival to tell Jones to end his attorney general bid.
“The comments that Jay Jones made are absolutely abhorrent,” Spanberger said at the debate. But she neither affirmed nor pulled back her support of Jones.
The winner will succeed term-limited GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
New York City
The mayoral election in the nation’s most populous city always grabs outsized attention, especially this year as New York City may elect its first Muslim and first millennial mayor.
Mamdani’s victory in June’s Democratic Party mayoral primary in the deep blue city sent political shock waves across the country. And he’s come under attack from Republicans and from his rivals on the ballot over his far-left proposals.
From left, independent mayoral candidate former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa and Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani participate in a mayoral debate, on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, in New York. (Angelina Katsanis/Pool-AP Photo)
Mamdani is facing off against former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who came in a distant second in the primary and is now running as an independent candidate. Cuomo is aiming for a political comeback after resigning as governor four years ago amid multiple scandals.
Also running is two-time Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, a co-founder of the Guardian Angels, the non-profit, volunteer-based community safety group.
Embattled Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat who was running for re-election as an independent, dropped out of the race last month. He recently backed Cuomo, but his name remains on the ballot.
California
Voters in heavily blue California will vote in November on whether to set aside their popular nonpartisan redistricting commission for the rest of the decade and allow the Democrat-dominated legislature to determine congressional redistricting for the next three election cycles.
The vote will be the culmination of an effort by Gov. Gavin Newsom and California Democrats to create up to five left-leaning congressional seats in the Golden State to counter the new maps that conservative Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law a couple of months ago, which will create up to five more right-leaning U.S. House districts in the red state of Texas.
Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom of California speaks during a congressional redistricting event, on Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025, in Los Angeles.(Mario Tama/Getty Images)
The redistricting in Texas, which came after Trump’s urging, is part of a broader effort by the GOP across the country to pad their razor-thin House majority to keep control of the chamber in the 2026 midterms when the party in power traditionally faces political headwinds and loses seats.
Trump is aiming to avoid a repeat of the 2018 midterms, during his first term in office, when Republicans lost control of the House.
But three Democrat-leaning justices on the state Supreme Court, following the completion of their 10-year terms, are running this year to keep their seats in “Yes” or “No” retention elections.
The election could upend the court’s composition for the next decade, heavily influence whether Democrats or Republicans have an advantage in the state’s congressional delegation and legislature, and impact crucial cases including voting rights and reproductive rights.
While state Supreme Court elections typically don’t grab much national attention, contests where the balance of a court in a key battleground state is up for grabs have attracted tons of outside money.
The state Supreme Court showdown this spring in Wisconsin, where the 4-3 liberal majority was maintained, drew nearly $100 million in outside money as both parties poured resources into the election.
Paul Steinhauser is a politics reporter based in the swing state of New Hampshire. He covers the campaign trail from coast to coast.”
Early voting continues through Saturday in a critical election in Virginia to determine the next governor, House of Delegates seats and a long list of local races.
Virginia voters speak out on the topics they’re most concerned about. (WTOP/Nick Iannelli)
Voters across Virginia will line up at polling places across the state Tuesday in a critical election to determine the next governor, House of Delegates seats and a long list of local races.
Political pundits will be reading the tea leaves to determine whether Democrats are gaining momentum, one year removed from their overwhelming defeat in last year’s presidential election and one year ahead of the midterms they hope to win to regain control in Congress.
The main event is the race for governor, which has pitted the current Republican lieutenant governor, Winsome Earle-Sears, against Democratic former U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger. The other major statewide offices of lieutenant governor and attorney general are also up for grabs.
All 100 seats in Virginia’s House of Delegates are also on the ballot, though some are not contested. Democrats have a slim 51-48 majority headed into November, with one current vacancy.
There’s also a slew of local races across Northern Virginia and the rest of the commonwealth.
Dates at a glance
Early in-person voting: Sept. 19 through Nov. 1 (passed)
Deadline to register or update voter registration: Oct. 24 (passed)
Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 4. Voters in line by 7 p.m. will be able to cast a ballot.
All voters need to provide an acceptable form of ID or sign an ID confirmation statement at the polls or vote a provisional ballot. Those who vote a provisional ballot will have until noon on the Friday after the election to deliver a copy of their ID to their jurisdiction’s election board or sign a confirmation statement in order for their ballot to be counted.
Mail ballots must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received by noon on Nov. 7.
Voters should check in with their city of county elections office for information about drop boxes and their locations.
Who’s on the ballot?
Statewide races
Virginia is one of two states, along with New Jersey, that conducts statewide races, including its governor’s contest, in the year following a presidential election, meaning these races will draw attention from politicos across the U.S.
The top of the ticket features the closely watched governor’s race between Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears and Democratic former U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger.
A Roanoke College poll released in August showed Spanberger ahead of Earle-Sears. Spanberger also has a hefty fundraising advantage, having raised more than $40 million for her campaign to Earle-Sears’ nearly $17 million, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.
No matter who wins the general election, Virginia is set to elect a woman as governor for the first time this fall.
For lieutenant governor, voters will decide between Democratic state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi and Republican radio host John Reid.
Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares is seeking reelection, and is facing Democratic challenger Jay Jones, an attorney and former state delegate.
House of Delegates
All 100 House of Delegates seats are up for grabs during November’s election, but not all are contested. The contested races in the D.C. area are below:
An asterisk denotes an incumbent. Locations are within district but do not provide the full scope of the voting area.
District 1, part of Arlington County
Patrick Hope, Democrat*
William “Bill” Moher III, Republican
District 2, part of Arlington County
Adele McClure, Democrat*
Wendy Sigley, Republican
District 6, Fairfax County (Great Falls, McLean)
Richard “Rip” Sullivan Jr., Democrat*
Kristin Hoffman, Republican
District 7, Fairfax County (Reston)
Karen Keys-Gamarra, Democrat*
Cassandra Aucoin, Republican
District 8, Fairfax County (Herndon, Oak Hill)
Irene Shin, Democrat*
Indira Massey, Republican
District 9, Fairfax County (Chantilly, Centreville)
Karrie Delaney, Democrat*
Nhan Huynh, Republican
District 10, Fairfax County (Centreville, Clifton, Braddock)
Dan Helmer, Democrat*
David Guill, Republican
District 11, City of Fairfax and Fairfax County (Oakton, Fair Oaks)
David Bulova, Democrat*
Adam Wise, Republican
Brandon Givens, Forward Party
District 12, Fairfax County (Tysons, Vienna, Merrifield)
Holly Seibold, Democrat*
Nelson Figueroa-Velez, Republican
District 13, Falls Church and Fairfax County (Merrifield, Seven Corners)
Marcus Simon, Democrat*
Sylwia Oleksy, Republican
Dave Crance Jr., Libertarian
District 14, Fairfax County (Annandale, Wakefield, Lincolnia)
Vivian Watts, Democrat*
Eric Johnson, Republican
District 15, Fairfax County (Burke)
Laura Jane Cohen, Democrat*
Saundra Davis, Republican
District 16, Fairfax County (Mount Vernon, Fort Hunt, Woodlawn)
Paul Krizek, Democrat*
Richard Hayden, Republican
Shelly Arnoldi, Independent
District 17, Fairfax County (Springfield, Franconia)
Mark Sickles, Democrat*
Naomi Mesfin, Republican
District 18, Fairfax County (Springfield, Newington, Lorton)
Kathy Tran, Democrat*
Edward McGovern, Republican
District 20, Manassas, Manassas Park, part of Prince William County
Michelle-Ann Lopes Maldonado, Democrat*
Christopher Stone, Republican
District 21, Prince William County (Bull Run, Gainesville)
Joshua Thomas, Democrat*
Gregory “Greg” Gorham, Republican
District 22, Prince William County (Linton Hall, Bristow, Nokesville, Buckhall)
Elizabeth Guzman, Democrat
Ian Lovejoy, Republican*
District 23, Prince William County (Dumfries, Triangle) and Stafford County (Boswell’s Corner, Aquia)
Candi King, Democrat*
James Tully, Republican
District 26, Loudoun County (Brambleton, Stone Ridge, South Riding)
JJ Singh, Democrat*
Ommair Butt, Republican
District 27, Loudoun County (Sterling, Sugarland Run, Dulles)
Atoosa Reaser, Democrat*
Junaid Khan, Republican
District 28, Loudoun County (Ashburn, Countryside)
David Reid, Democrat*
Janet Geisler, Republican
District 29, Loudoun County (Leesburg, Lansdowne)
Fernando “Marty” Martinez, Democrat*
Scott Thomas, Republican
District 30, Loudoun County (Purcellville) and Fauquier County (Marshall)
John McAuliff, Democrat
Geary Higgins, Republican*
District 61, Fauquier County (Warrenton, Bealeton) and parts of Culpeper and Rappahannock counties
Jacob “Jac” Bennington, Democrat
Michael Webert, Republican*
District 65, Parts of Stafford and Spotsylvania counties and Fredericksburg City
Joshua Cole, Democrat*
Sean Steinway, Republican
Local races
Most jurisdictions in Northern Virginia have local races of some sort, whether they are contests for mayor, county board, school board, city council or sheriff.
Check the full list of local races on the Virginia Department of Elections website. Voters can also check in with their county or city electoral board for more information on local races.
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The Democrats running for governor in New Jersey and Virginia should win easily.
And yet the races are tighter than the prognosticators had expected. Here’s why.
Mikie Sherrill, a former Navy officer and ex-prosecutor as well as a sitting congresswoman, should clobber Jack Ciattarelli, a onetime assemblyman who has already run twice and lost.
Since I began my career at a New Jersey newspaper, I can tell you that the Garden State has never been as solidly blue as it is now.
Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., is doing everything she can to make her gubernatorial faceoff with Republican ex-Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli a referendum on the Trump administration.(Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)
One problem that Sherrill faces is that outgoing governor Phil Murphy is extremely unpopular, and voters tend not to reward the party in power when they’re ticked off.
And then there’s the Trump factor, which hangs over Tuesday’s races like a storm cloud.
While Ciattarelli called Trump a “charlatan” in 2015, they’ve since made up and the president has endorsed him. In 2012, he voted against a bill legalizing same-sex marriage but has since flipped his position.
Sherrill is doing everything she can to make the election about Trump. She pounds away at the president, knowing full well that Ciattarelli can’t separate himself from the Trump agenda on any issue without potentially triggering his anger.
What’s more, Trump canceled a $16 billion tunnel between New Jersey and New York. That is poison among North Jersey commuters.
Throw in a month-long government shutdown, and the weekend’s suspension of SNAP food benefits, and you’ve got a perfect storm for Sherrill.
But with Ciattarelli campaigning in minority communities, it’s just not going to be a cakewalk.
In Virginia, Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a former CIA officer, would ordinarily be rolling to victory against Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, the first Black woman to win a statewide race. Trump has not endorsed her.
But Spanberger has displayed a distinct lack of courage, and that’s hurt her.
The Democrat running for attorney general, Jay Jones, is widely viewed as a disgrace. He texted a colleague that he had “two bullets” for the then-speaker of the House of Delegates, Todd Gilbert. Oh, and he’d like to see his children die.
Spanberger could have insisted that he bow out of the race, that this was absolutely appalling behavior. But she didn’t. She still backs Jay Jones. That made her look like just another self-serving political hack.
Embattled attorney general nominee Jay Jones continues to be a political albatross for Virginia Democrats.(Maxine Wallace/The Washington Post/Getty Images)
The press has largely given Spanberger a pass, making it into a one- or two-day story before moving on. But Earle-Sears, a combat veteran, has thrown most of her advertising budget at this one issue, while also playing up the trans women in men’s sports controversy.
Spanberger is running against the Trump economy as a way of playing up the affordability issue in the commonwealth. She casts the Trump tariffs as a “massive tax hike on Virginians.”
Virginia is not as blue as New Jersey, but the northern suburbs certainly are, a place where untold numbers of federal workers have been fired or aren’t getting paid during the shutdown.
Spanberger is trying to convert some Trump voters in rural areas. But as former senator Joe Manchin told Politico, “If you have a ‘D’ by your name in rural America – grassroots, rural, religious America – they’re going to lose, no matter how they try to switch.”
Spanberger is still on track to win by double digits, in a state won by Kamala Harris – so she seems to have ridden out the storm.
Trump, who has been consumed by foreign travel and mediating wars, has paid little attention to this week’s elections, publicly at least. He has not campaigned for anyone in person during the final stretch. It’s as though he knows he has a losing hand – probable losses in left-leaning states – and doesn’t want to be associated with the outcome.
Barack Obama, the de facto champion of the leaderless Democrats, campaigned for Spanberger and Sherrill on Saturday.
Former President Barack Obama joined Spanberger, pictured, and Sherrill on the campaign trail over the weekend.(Steve Helber/AP Photo)
That brings us to New York City and its toxic, melting pot, heavily ethnic, punch-in-the-nose brand of politics.
Here Trump is playing a role by constantly denouncing Zohran Mamdani, the front-runner who would be the city’s first Muslim mayor, as a “communist.”
The Republicans are already running against Mamdani, the self-proclaimed socialist. He is a gift from the political gods. They are making him the face of the Democratic Party.
Andrew Cuomo, who learned politics from his father Mario, when I first met him, was outhustled by Mamdani. The polls are suddenly tightening, but the charismatic Mamdani is still likely to win, largely because Republican Curtis Sliwa, the former Guardian Angel who has no chance, refuses to drop out.
The hard-edged Cuomo is hardly an ideal candidate. He was forced to resign as governor four years ago after a torrent of sexual harassment allegations, which he denies.
Hakeem Jeffries finally gave Mamdani a lukewarm endorsement, despite the fact that he doesn’t recognize Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, because he’s the expected winner. If that happens, Mamdani won’t be able to deliver on most of his promises for free goods and services, because he’ll need help from Albany and other power centers.
And that will be hung around the neck of every Democrat running in places far less liberal than the five boroughs. The Republicans will make sure that Mamdani is the most famous Democrat in the country, the symbol, fairly or not, of a far-left party.
Off-year elections are usually a snooze, testing turnout when the incumbent president isn’t on the ballot. But this one has more twists and turns than the L.A. Dodgers hanging on by their fingernails to beat the Toronto Blue Jays.
Howard Kurtz is a media and political analyst and the former host of FOX News Channel’s MediaBuzz. Based in Washington, D.C., he joined the network in 2013 and regularly appears on Special Report with Bret Baier and The Story with Martha MacCallum among other programs.
Former President Barack Obama is urging voters to use Tuesday’s elections in Virginia and New Jersey to rebuke President Donald Trump and candidates loyal to him.
Former President Barack Obama, gestures during a rally for Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger, left, Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, in Norfolk, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)(AP/Steve Helber)
Former President Barack Obama, gestures during a rally for Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger, left, Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, in Norfolk, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)(AP/Steve Helber)
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — Former President Barack Obama is encouraging voters to elect Democratic governors in Virginia and New Jersey in races this Tuesday to rebuke Donald Trump 10 months into his second presidency and a year ahead of midterm elections that could reshape it.
At the same time, California advocates made a final push ahead of a statewide referendum over whether to redraw the state’s congressional map in Democrats’ favor. The effort, backed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, is part of a national redistricting battle that began when Trump urged GOP-run states to help him maintain a friendly House majority in 2026.
Obama praised Spanberger and Sherrill, center-left Democrats who helped their party win a U.S. House majority halfway through Trump’s first presidency, as experienced figures who would improve voters’ financial circumstances. Yet Obama, who remains Democrats’ most popular figure nearly nine years removed from the White House, spent much of his time during separate rallies lambasting Trump for “lawlessness and recklessness” and “shambolic” economic policy. Obama urged voters to “set a glorious example for the nation” by rejecting nominees loyal to a president with “autocratic impulses.”
“The stakes are now clear,” Obama said in Virginia. “We don’t need to speculate about the dangers to our democracy. We don’t need to ask ourselves how much more coarse and mean our culture can become. Elections matter, and they matter to you.”
Obama took care not to blame voters who backed Trump in 2024 because of inflation and a roiled economy. But, he asked in New Jersey, “Has any of that gotten better for you?”
In some ways, it was standard partisan fare in the closing stretch of a campaign. Yet it stood out as an unusually intense rebuke of a sitting president by a predecessor and because Republicans offered little defense of Trump in their own campaign stops Saturday, instead trying to localize the off-year elections as much as possible.
On a bus tour across New Jersey, Ciattarelli referenced the president mostly to chide Sherrill for mentioning him so much, along with her experience as a Navy helicopter pilot.
“Her disdain for the president. And she can fly a helicopter. Is any of that going to fix New Jersey?” Ciattarelli said in suburban Westfield.
Earle-Sears did not mention Trump at all as she campaigned with term-limited Gov. Glenn Youngkin. “We are not going back,” she said, arguing for conservative continuity in Purcellville. “There’s only darkness back there. Abigail Spanberger represents the darkness.”
Trump isn’t on site, but he’s been in the conversation
Trump endorsed Ciattarelli and has said — without naming Earle-Sears — that he backs her Virginia bid. He conducted a phone rally for Ciattarelli but has not campaigned in person for either nominee.
On Friday evening in south Florida, Trump attended a shindig at his resort with the theme “A Little Party Never Killed Nobody.” On Saturday, he headed to Trump International Palm Beach in West Palm Beach, Florida, and is scheduled to attend a dinner for MAGA, Inc., a super PAC founded by allies. The president is due to return to Washington on Sunday.
Trump’s arms-length approach reflects a complicated reality for Republicans: He remains intensely popular among the most conservative voters but has a more precarious standing with the rest of the electorate.
Some of their supporters greeted Ciattarelli and Earle-Sears wearing red “Make America Great Again” hats from Trump’s campaigns. But the nominees stayed focused on state policies.
In suburban Westfield, Ciattarelli took selfies for about an hour and talked about proposals to lower energy costs and property taxes, among other ideas. His campaign also has concentrated on his family’s deep roots in the state and argued it’s time for a “Jersey guy” as governor. Sherrill was born in Virginia.
In multiple small-town stops, Earle-Sears promised to lower taxes, defend parents’ ability to shape education policy and stave off unions and business regulations. “I’m for common sense,” she said in northern Virginia.
She has previously embraced Trump, while Ciattarelli has played up his good relationship with the White House.
Two Democrats take slightly different approaches to Trump
As she has been throughout the fall, Sherrill did not shy away from Trump and the national stakes.
“When everything seems to come down to our election, when people across the nation, look at me with fear and despair in their eyes and ask me, is New Jersey up for this moment? My answer was, ‘Hell yeah,’” she said in Newark.
Spanberger kept to her more circumspect style regarding Trump, pairing economic arguments against his policies with more opaque references to the president’s moves that upend democratic norms.
“Virginia voters can and will send a message amid the recklessness and the heartlessness coming out of Washington,” she said ahead of Obama. She criticized “the political turmoil coming out of Washington right now” and introduced Obama by recalling “a time not that long ago … when we had a president … who worked to bring us together instead of tearing us apart.”
Still, according to AdImpact data, Spanberger’s biggest advertising expenses are for spots that try to tie Earle-Sears to Trump.
The economy and shutdown overshadow the governor’s races
Spanberger and Sherrill have both pledged to tackle rising consumer costs. In New Jersey, however, Ciattarelli has blamed Democrats for higher energy costs because outgoing Gov. Phil Murphy has been leading the state for two terms.
The Democrats have blasted Republicans’ federal domestic policy and tax cut bill. Spanberger on Saturday criticized Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency and the ongoing federal shutdown — both of which have a disproportionate impact in a state with more than 300,000 federal employees, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Earle-Sears has pinned the shutdown on Spanberger, arguing the former congresswoman should use her leverage with Virginia’s Democratic U.S. senators. Both have voted against the GOP’s spending extension bill as Democrats demand Republicans address looming health care cuts.
Additionally, the contests could offer some clues as to whether social issues carry any less weight with voters than in previous elections. Spanberger and Sherrill herald their support for abortion rights, Spanberger doing so in the last Southern state not to impose new restrictions or bans in recent years. Earle-Sears did not mention her opposition to abortion rights Saturday but has said repeatedly that Spanberger in an extremist on transgender rights — attacks similar to those that Trump wielded effectively against Democrat Kamala Harris in 2024.
___ Barrow reported from Atlanta. Catalini reported from Newark. Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani in West Palm Beach, Florida, contributed to this report.
Abigail Spanberger on the campaign trail. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images
Virginia’s off-year elections have predictably lined up as a negative referendum on Donald Trump’s fractious second-term agenda. But while the Democrats’ gubernatorial candidate, the centrist congresswoman Abigail Spanberger, looks to be cruising toward a comfortable win over Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, there’s trouble two spots downballot. A scandal involving newly unearthed 2022 text messages from attorney general nominee Jay Jones has roiled his close race against incumbent Republican Jason Miyares and discomfited his ticket-mates (statewide candidates in Virginia run separately but often campaign together). While Spanberger and the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, Ghazala Hamshi, have denounced the texts, which wished terrible deaths for a Republican legislative leader and his family, they haven’t asked Jones to withdraw from the race as the GOP and its allied media have predictably demanded.
So Virginia Democrats have been thrown off-balance, and limited polling shows Jones in serious trouble. Hamshi’s race against Republican John Reid for the LG position is also very close. But Republican hopes that the scandal would derail Spanberger’s campaign don’t look to be realistic at all. For one thing, Jones’s troubles are mostly just convincing voters to skip the AG race rather than voting Republican, which mitigates the damage to his own candidacy and isolates the fallout. For another, Donald Trump is just a lodestone for the GOP that’s too difficult to throw off, as veteran Virginia political reporter Jeff Schapiro recently observed:
The ongoing federal government shutdown, triggered Oct. 1 by a partisan standoff in Congress, and preceded by a wave of DOGE-induced layoffs and retirements of government workers that, starting this past winter, fueled a steady increase in joblessness into the final months of the Virginia campaign. These spikes are most evident in Washington’s Northern Virginia suburbs but they are flaring elsewhere in the state.
Further, Trump’s tariffs are eroding by nearly 10% cargo traffic through the state’s gateway to the world, the Port of Virginia, a pillar of the coastal Virginia economy along with surrounding military bases and related federal civilian employment.
Add in unhappiness with Trump’s mass-deportation overreach among Virginia’s sizable population of immigrant citizens, and it’s clear the usual swing against the party controlling the White House (which gave the commonwealth Republican governor Glenn Youngkin four years ago) has been intensified this year. Spanberger has also run a highly disciplined campaign, fueled by a big funding advantage over Sears-Earle. So while Virginia experienced a significant swing toward the GOP in 2024 (Kamala Harris won it by just under six points; Joe Biden won it by ten in 2020), it’s still a blue state in a blue mood over a Republican presidency.
Aside from the Jones brouhaha, there’s one other late development that some Republicans think might help them: a surprise decision by Democratic legislative leaders to undertake a long-shot effort to get a constitutional amendment enacted so they can draw up a favorable congressional map prior to next year’s midterms. But since over a million Virginians have already voted early, and the gerrymandering process is extremely tentative and complex, it seems unlikely to have an impact other than on the margins.
Gubernatorial polls show no late Republican trend. The most recent publicly released survey, from Roanoke College, showed Spanberger with a ten-point lead over Earle-Sears (51 percent to 41 percent). The RealClearPolitics polling averages have the Democrat leading by 7.2 percent. The only poll indicating a really close race was a mid-October finding from the decidedly pro-GOP combine of Trafalgar and Insider Advantage, and even they gave Spanberger a three-point advantage. Jay Jones may or may not go down, but barring a shocker, Virginia will be governed by Democrats, almost certainly in a trifecta, next year.
One historical note worth mentioning: no matter who wins the race, Spanberger will be the first woman to serve as governor or senator of Virginia. That will leave Pennsylvania as the only state that has never broken the male monopoly on these positions.
As Virginia’s high-stakes election nears, Democrats have called a special legislative session to propose redrawing U.S. House districts — prompting Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin to denounce the move as a “desperate grab for power.” The redistricting effort, inspired by similar GOP actions in states like Texas, aims to bolster Democratic chances in the 2026 midterms, reigniting partisan tensions over electoral fairness and constitutional authority.
WTOP’s Alan Etter breaks down the Virginia General Assembly’s special session on Monday to potentially redraw the state’s congressional boundaries.
This article was reprinted with permission from Virginia Mercury.
With just one week before Election Day, Virginia lawmakers returned to the state Capitol Monday for a surprise special session that swiftly turned into a partisan clash over the future of the state’s congressional map — and, potentially, its balance of political power for years to come.
House Democrats, using procedural maneuvers that caught Republicans off guard, pushed through a procedural resolution crafted by House Majority Leader Charniele Herring, D-Alexandria, which, if successful, would allow the General Assembly to consider a proposed constitutional amendment granting lawmakers authority to redraw Virginia’s congressional districts mid-decade.
Under the resolution, adopted on a party-line vote in both chambers, lawmakers may now consider budget and revenue bills, judicial appointments and constitutional amendments related to redistricting and reapportionment. The measure effectively removes the usual constraints that limit special sessions to subjects designated by the governor or legislative leaders.
“This was an important vote for us to take this week in order for us to have that option,” said Del. Cia Price, D-Newport News, chair of the House Privileges and Elections Committee. “If we were not to take this action right now, then we would be pulling an option from the voters.”
Republicans decried the legislative action as an ambush carried out largely behind closed doors. Democrats argued the procedural expansion is needed to respond to what they view as a growing national campaign by Republicans — encouraged by President Donald Trump — to reengineer congressional maps mid-decade.
As first reported by The New York Times last week, Democratic strategists, including former Attorney General Eric Holder, have urged Virginia to act preemptively in case federal courts uphold new Republican-drawn maps in states such as Texas, North Carolina and Missouri that could tilt the balance of the U.S. House.
“The actions that Texas and Missouri and North Carolina have taken have triggered this,” Price said. “The trigger has already been pulled when it comes to attacks on our democracy. So that’s why Virginia is here. We are going to do our job to protect democracy in Virginia.”
Republicans cry foul
Republicans blasted the maneuver as a constitutional overreach designed to change election rules days before voters decide three statewide races.
House Minority Leader Terry Kilgore, R-Scott, said Democrats had sidelined the minority and the public in an opaque process that left many guessing what was actually being planned.
“There’s a lot of issues that we need to talk about to the voters of Virginia, but obviously the ruling party had other plans,” Kilgore told reporters on the House floor. “Just let it be known that we do think that this was a plan to take us out of having any motions of personal privilege. … I just want to know from our side, because we’re not privy to all this, are we going to have a redistricting constitutional amendment coming to the floor?”
House Minority Leader Terry Kilgore, R-Scott, speaks with reporters on the House floor Monday. (Photo by Markus Schmidt/Virginia Mercury)
Del. Israel O’Quinn, R-Washington, accused Democrats of hiding the ball: “You know a bill is a bad idea when a member mumbles through their description of it and refuses to take questions and sits back down,” O’Quinn said. “They don’t want morning hour speeches, so you’re getting to see a really bad idea play out in real time.”
Republicans also questioned whether Democrats had already missed the legal window to advance a constitutional amendment this year.
Del. Bobby Orrock, R-Spotsylvania, cited Virginia Code § 30-13, which requires proposed constitutional amendments to be posted publicly at least three months before the next House of Delegates election.
“That deadline has already passed,” Orrock said on the House floor, arguing that any amendment passed this week could not legally appear before voters in November.
Del. Lee Ware, R-Powhatan, warned that Democrats were defying centuries of precedent.
“Here we are, eight days before Election Day, near the conclusion of our 46-day election season, in Richmond,” Ware said. “The purpose of this unprecedented special session during an election is to hitch Virginia, belatedly, to the pell-mell bandwagon, to redistrict, or to speak more honestly, to gerrymander, the commonwealth’s electoral districts.”
Democrats: Amendment only creates an “option”
Price and other Democrats maintained that the move does not dismantle Virginia’s independent redistricting commission, approved by voters in 2020, but merely creates an additional safeguard should courts or federal actions reshape national political boundaries.
Del. Rodney Willett, D-Henrico, who will carry the proposed constitutional amendment, said the plan “is going to give us options.”
“Maybe the most important point to make here is what the resolution is not going to do, which is to abolish the commission that was created through the earlier constitutional amendment,” Willett said.
“This is to create, again, not a mandate, but an option, in the interim, in between those decennial redistrictings to do something when there’s an extraordinary circumstance.”
He added that the move was necessary because “our hand’s been forced here. This is not our choice to be here, but with this kind of attack, we’ve got to respond.”
Democratic House Speaker Don Scott, D-Portsmouth, who last week called lawmakers back to Richmond, declined to outline his full plan publicly. But some Democratic leaders told Virginia Scope last week that the goal is to prevent Virginia’s representation in Congress from being weakened if neighboring states redraw their maps to favor Republicans.
Earle-Sears, GOP candidates seize on the optics
Before the session opened, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears — who presided over the state Senate Monday and is also the Republican nominee for governor — staged a campaign-style news conference on the Capitol steps, accusing Democrats of abusing their majority for partisan gain.
“Today, Democrats in our General Assembly are calling this special session, not to serve the people, but to serve ourselves,” Earle-Sears said. “They want to dismantle the very independent redistricting commission that Virginia was voting for in a bipartisan majority.”
Earle-Sears called the commission “born out of a prayer, a rare moment of unity, when Democrats and Republicans alike agreed that voters … should choose their own representatives, and not the other way around.”
Virginia Republican gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears speaks at the state capitol Monday to rally against a special session called by Democratic leadership in the legislature to consider redistricting just over a week before Election Day. (Photo by Charlotte Rene Woods/Virginia Mercury)
She linked the move directly to her Democratic opponent, Abigail Spanberger, saying, “This pressure is coming from Washington insiders and Abigail Spanberger. What we are seeing today is the worst kind of political backtracking, an attempt to grab power by erasing the voter’s voice.”
Her remarks came as national attention turned to a $150,000 donation each from Holder’s National Democratic Redistricting Committee to Spanberger’s campaign and to Virginia House Democrats.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin seized on that timing Monday, accusing Spanberger of hypocrisy.
“This was Abigail Spanberger’s position just a few short years ago,” Youngkin wrote on X, citing her 2019 praise of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling striking down racially gerrymandered districts. “All it took was $150,000 from the ‘Democrat Redistricting Committee’ to change her position completely,” Youngkin wrote.
Spanberger has not commented publicly on the current effort. In an August interview with WJLA, she said she opposed mid-decade redistricting and warned against “politicians trying to tilt the playing field in their favor,” aligning herself with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s call for fair-maps legislation.
Republican lieutenant governor nominee John Reid on Monday echoed Earle-Sears’ criticism, saying Democrats were “not respecting the will of the people.”
“They made it very clear, just five years ago, they don’t want petty partisanship,” Reid said. “They don’t want politicians drawing their own lines … this is not respectful to the people in Virginia.”
GOP congressional delegation joins chorus
Earlier in the day, Virginia’s five Republican members of Congress — U.S. Reps. Morgan Griffith, Jen Kiggans, Rob Wittman, Ben Cline and John McGuire — held a joint news conference at the Capitol condemning the Democratic move.
Griffith, a former House majority leader in the state legislature, said he had firsthand experience with partisan line-drawing.
“I was a part of partisan redistricting, but the voters of Virginia spoke in 2020 that they didn’t like that happening,” he said. Griffith argued that a special session after early voting had already begun “deprives those who have voted early” of the chance to weigh the issue.
U.S. Rep. Jen Kiggans (left) and U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith (right) join their fellow Republican members of Virginia’s congressional delegation at the state capitol. (Photo by Charlotte Rene Woods/ Virginia Mercury)
Kiggans, who represents a competitive swing district in Hampton Roads, called the proposal a cynical replay of Washington dysfunction. “It’s a competitive district, and always will be,” she said, likening the Democratic plan to “partisan games in Washington” that have “now trickled down here to Richmond.”
Legal doubts and political fallout
Republican Party of Virginia Chair Mark Peake, a state senator from Lynchburg, told The Mercury in an interview Monday that the Democratic proposal was “unconstitutional.”
“There is no intervening election,” Peake said. “Nine-hundred thousand people have already voted. They’re supposed to post it in courthouses for three months before the election. They don’t have a bill, they don’t have a constitutional amendment. It’s not going through. As I said, it’s a ruse.”
Peake predicted “this will 100 percent end up in court.”
He dismissed comparisons to Trump’s mid-decade redistricting push in Texas.
“Where we are different is, we have a constitutional amendment in place that says how we do redistricting. Not mid-decade, it’s every decade. And it’s bipartisan.”
Broader stakes: A national redistricting arms race
The New York Times reported last week that Virginia Democrats’ rush to act stems from a fear that Republican-controlled states could redraw congressional boundaries before 2026, potentially costing Democrats several seats.
Trump’s public calls for GOP legislatures to redistrict mid-decade have prompted a flurry of legal and legislative action in Texas, Missouri and North Carolina. The U.S. Supreme Court is also currently weighing a major redistricting case from Louisiana.
In that context, Democrats in Virginia — one of only a few southern states with divided political control in recent years — see a constitutional amendment as both a defensive measure and a statement of principle.
But even some Democrats privately concede that the optics of returning to Richmond just days before an election could prove risky, particularly as Republicans work to cast the move as proof of overreach.
Next steps and uncertain path ahead
Price, whose committee oversees election law, said the Privileges and Elections Committee would meet Wednesday morning to review the amendment text, followed by a potential vote in the full House later this week.
She emphasized that the amendment would require approval again in the next legislative session and voter ratification in a statewide referendum before taking effect.
“I’ve been here for 10 years,” Price said. “We’ve had several proposed constitutional amendments, and when the Republicans were in charge, they weren’t worried about what they were bringing up. We are fully within our right to be here.”
Still, the legal and political obstacles are formidable.
Virginia law requires constitutional amendments to be approved by two separately elected General Assemblies, meaning even if Democrats pass it this week, it would need to survive another vote after the new legislature convenes in January — and then win approval at the ballot box in 2026.
Republicans appear determined to challenge the process in court before it gets that far. “They’re wasting our time,” Peake, the RPV chair, said flatly. “It’s going to be overturned as soon as it gets to court.”
As night fell on the Capitol, lawmakers filtered out of the chamber with few clear answers and even fewer signs of bipartisan consensus.
Price, standing outside the chamber doors, said Democrats would proceed carefully but deliberately.
“It’s important that we have all of our options on the table,” she said again. “This is about protecting democracy in Virginia.”
Reporters Nathaniel Cline and Charlotte Rene Woods contributed to this story.
Early voting continues through Saturday in a critical election in Virginia to determine the next governor, House of Delegates seats and a long list of local races.
Virginia voters speak out on the topics they’re most concerned about. (WTOP/Nick Iannelli)
Early voting continues through Saturday in a critical election in Virginia to determine the next governor, House of Delegates seats and a long list of local races.
Political pundits will be reading the tea leaves to determine whether Democrats are gaining momentum, one year removed from their overwhelming defeat in last year’s presidential election and one year ahead of the midterms they hope to win to regain control in Congress.
The main event is the race for governor, which has pitted the current Republican lieutenant governor, Winsome Earle-Sears, against Democratic former U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger. The other major statewide offices of lieutenant governor and attorney general are also up for grabs.
All 100 seats in Virginia’s House of Delegates are also on the ballot, though some are not contested. Democrats have a slim 51-49 majority headed into November.
There’s also a slew of local races across Northern Virginia and the rest of the commonwealth.
Dates at a glance
Early in-person voting: Sept. 19 through Nov. 1
Deadline to register or update voter registration: Oct. 24 (passed)
Before voting either early or on Election Day, be sure to register to vote or confirm your voter registration is up to date.
For information on early voting locations, voters should check in with their city or county elections office. Each jurisdiction may have different policies regarding early voting, and early voting locations may differ from your Election Day polling place.
Mail ballots must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received by noon on Nov. 7.
Voters should check in with their city of county elections office for information about drop boxes and their locations.
Voting on Election Day
Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 4. Voters in line by 7 p.m. will be able to cast a ballot.
All voters need to provide an acceptable form of ID or sign an ID confirmation statement at the polls or vote a provisional ballot. Those who vote a provisional ballot will have until noon on the Friday after the election to deliver a copy of their ID to their jurisdiction’s election board or sign a confirmation statement in order for their ballot to be counted.
Virginia is one of two states, along with New Jersey, that conducts statewide races, including its governor’s contest, in the year following a presidential election, meaning these races will draw attention from politicos across the U.S.
The top of the ticket features the closely watched governor’s race between Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears and Democratic former U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger.
A Roanoke College poll released in August showed Spanberger ahead of Earle-Sears. Spanberger also has a hefty fundraising advantage, having raised more than $40 million for her campaign to Earle-Sears’ nearly $17 million, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.
No matter who wins the general election, Virginia is set to elect a woman as governor for the first time this fall.
For lieutenant governor, voters will decide between Democratic state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi and Republican radio host John Reid.
Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares is seeking reelection, and is facing Democratic challenger Jay Jones, an attorney and former state delegate.
House of Delegates
All 100 House of Delegates seats are up for grabs during November’s election, but not all are contested. The contested races in the D.C. area are below:
An asterisk denotes an incumbent. Locations are within district but do not provide the full scope of the voting area.
District 1, part of Arlington County
Patrick Hope, Democrat*
William “Bill” Moher III, Republican
District 2, part of Arlington County
Adele McClure, Democrat*
Wendy Sigley, Republican
District 6, Fairfax County (Great Falls, McLean)
Richard “Rip” Sullivan Jr., Democrat*
Kristin Hoffman, Republican
District 7, Fairfax County (Reston)
Karen Keys-Gamarra, Democrat*
Cassandra Aucoin, Republican
District 8, Fairfax County (Herndon, Oak Hill)
Irene Shin, Democrat*
Indira Massey, Republican
District 9, Fairfax County (Chantilly, Centreville)
Karrie Delaney, Democrat*
Nhan Huynh, Republican
District 10, Fairfax County (Centreville, Clifton, Braddock)
Dan Helmer, Democrat*
David Guill, Republican
District 11, City of Fairfax and Fairfax County (Oakton, Fair Oaks)
David Bulova, Democrat*
Adam Wise, Republican
Brandon Givens, Forward Party
District 12, Fairfax County (Tysons, Vienna, Merrifield)
Holly Seibold, Democrat*
Nelson Figueroa-Velez, Republican
District 13, Falls Church and Fairfax County (Merrifield, Seven Corners)
Marcus Simon, Democrat*
Sylwia Oleksy, Republican
Dave Crance Jr., Libertarian
District 14, Fairfax County (Annandale, Wakefield, Lincolnia)
Vivian Watts, Democrat*
Eric Johnson, Republican
District 15, Fairfax County (Burke)
Laura Jane Cohen, Democrat*
Saundra Davis, Republican
District 16, Fairfax County (Mount Vernon, Fort Hunt, Woodlawn)
Paul Krizek, Democrat*
Richard Hayden, Republican
Shelly Arnoldi, Independent
District 17, Fairfax County (Springfield, Franconia)
Mark Sickles, Democrat*
Naomi Mesfin, Republican
District 18, Fairfax County (Springfield, Newington, Lorton)
Kathy Tran, Democrat*
Edward McGovern, Republican
District 20, Manassas, Manassas Park, part of Prince William County
Michelle-Ann Lopes Maldonado, Democrat*
Christopher Stone, Republican
District 21, Prince William County (Bull Run, Gainesville)
Joshua Thomas, Democrat*
Gregory “Greg” Gorham, Republican
District 22, Prince William County (Linton Hall, Bristow, Nokesville, Buckhall)
Elizabeth Guzman, Democrat
Ian Lovejoy, Republican*
District 23, Prince William County (Dumfries, Triangle) and Stafford County (Boswell’s Corner, Aquia)
Candi King, Democrat*
James Tully, Republican
District 26, Loudoun County (Brambleton, Stone Ridge, South Riding)
JJ Singh, Democrat*
Ommair Butt, Republican
District 27, Loudoun County (Sterling, Sugarland Run, Dulles)
Atoosa Reaser, Democrat*
Junaid Khan, Republican
District 28, Loudoun County (Ashburn, Countryside)
David Reid, Democrat*
Janet Geisler, Republican
District 29, Loudoun County (Leesburg, Lansdowne)
Fernando “Marty” Martinez, Democrat*
Scott Thomas, Republican
District 30, Loudoun County (Purcellville) and Fauquier County (Marshall)
John McAuliff, Democrat
Geary Higgins, Republican*
District 61, Fauquier County (Warrenton, Bealeton) and parts of Culpeper and Rappahannock counties
Jacob “Jac” Bennington, Democrat
Michael Webert, Republican*
Local races
Most jurisdictions in Northern Virginia have local races of some sort, whether they are contests for mayor, county board, school board, city council or sheriff.
Check the full list of local races on the Virginia Department of Elections website. Voters can also check in with their county or city electoral board for more information on local races.
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Virginia Democratic legislative leader Scott Surovell has a redistricting tiger by the tail. Photo: Minh Connors/The Washington Post/Getty Images
With all the appalling things going on every day in Donald Trump’s America, it’s tempting to view the nationwide scramble to redraw congressional maps before the 2026 midterms as just another typical incident of partisan gamesmanship. But it’s actually quite unusual. Since at least since the beginning of the 20th century, states rarely conducted redistricting other than after the decennial Census and the subsequent reapportionment of U.S. House seats between the states. Court decisions occasionally forced a mid-decade redistricting (particularly during the sadly distant heyday of the Voting Rights Act). But when then–U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay engineered a redistricting of the Texas House delegation in 2003 to help Republicans reconquer Congress in 2004, it was a national scandal.
So when President Donald Trump ordered Texas Republicans to suddenly upturn the state’s congressional map because he knew his party was likely to lose control of the House in 2026, it was a very big deal. And when he subsequently ordered Republicans to do the same thing in every single state where they had the power to pull off such blatant, minority-disenfranchising power grabs, it touched off a wild arms race between the two parties that may not subside until candidate filing deadlines for 2026 have passed. Having flipped up to five House seats in Texas, and one in Missouri, Republicans are now looking at the possibility of rewriting maps in Ohio, Indiana, Kansas, Florida, Louisiana, and South Carolina. Democrats are retaliating with a big redistricting push in California, also aimed at netting five seats, which will be approved or vetoed by voters on November 4. Democrats in Maryland, Illinois, and New York are thinking about joining the gerrymandering jamboree.
But the best sign of how out of control the redistricting craze has become is the out-of-the-blue plan now emerging from Virginia, where Democrats are considering a truly mad dash to flip two or three House seats before the midterms, as the New York Timesreports:
The next front in the nation’s pitched battle over mid-decade congressional redistricting is opening in Virginia, where Democrats are planning the first step toward redrawing congressional maps, a move that could give their party two or three more seats.
The surprise development, which was announced by legislators on Thursday, would make Virginia the second state, after California, in which Democrats try to counter a wave of Republican moves demanded by President Trump to redistrict states to their advantage before the 2026 midterm elections …
Democrats now hold six of Virginia’s 11 congressional seats. Redistricting could deliver two or three additional seats for the party, depending on how aggressive cartographers choose to be in a redrawing effort.
This is happening less than two weeks before a general election in Virginia in which every statewide elected office and every seat in the lower chamber of the legislature are up for grabs. Democrats have extremely narrow margins of control in both chambers, which isn’t expected to change on November 4. But the sudden gambit seems to have taken Democratic gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger by surprise. In Virginia, the governor (until January that’s Republican Glenn Youngkin) plays no role in the passage of constitutional amendments, which is what the Democratic plan will require.
The timetable is almost madcap. Democrats will need to approve the proposed constitutional amendment next week. Then they would have to pass it again in the next legislative session that begins in January. Only then can they schedule a referendum timed to enact the measure before candidate filing for the midterms ends. No telling when the actual proposed maps will be made public. There is absolutely no margin for error at any step. But that’s how frantic people in both parties have become to get control of the chain reaction Trump began with malice aforethought.
The stakes are huge because of the literally incredible things Trump might do in the last two years of his presidency if his slavishly submissive party continues to hold a governing trifecta beyond the midterms. The longer implications are ominous too, if it becomes routine for parties to repeatedly change congressional (and ultimately, state legislative) maps in order to maintain or seize power regardless of the overall contours of public opinion. It will be quite the white-knuckle ride.
Virginia is in the political spotlight, as pundits will look to the result of the state’s election for governor between Abigail Spanberger and Winsome Earle-Sears for clues about next year’s midterms.
For all the latest developments in Congress, follow WTOP Capitol Hill correspondent Mitchell Miller at Today on the Hill.
Virginia’s race for governor is historic and the focus of the nation’s attention, as Republicans and Democrats seek momentum going into next year’s congressional midterm elections.
Whether voters choose Democratic former Rep. Abigail Spanberger or Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, history will be made with the election of the first woman as governor of the Commonwealth.
Virginia and New Jersey are in the political spotlight this fall, since they are the only states holding off-year elections for governor.
“When you look at the election for governor of Virginia in this year, you really recognize that, at least right now, all politics are national,” said Stephen Farnsworth, professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington.
Spanberger has leaned into criticizing President Donald Trump for firing and laying off tens of thousands of federal employees since he’s returned to the White House.
Earle-Sears supports the president’s efforts to trim federal bureaucracy and Trump recently told reporters he believes she is a “very good” candidate, while calling Spanberger a “disaster.”
Impact of AG race and texting scandal
The down-ballot attorney general’s race has altered the gubernatorial campaign, with the revelation that Democratic candidate Jay Jones texted a Republican colleague in 2022, wishing deadly violence on then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert and his family.
Earle-Sears, whose candidacy has had difficulty raising money and at times been privately criticized by GOP strategists, has sought to capitalize on the scandal. She aired a television ad from the debate during which she pressed Spanberger to discuss her support for Jones and the texting issue, as the Democratic candidate remained silent.
Spanberger has condemned what Jones said and has sought to distance herself from the matter.
Farnsworth said Earle-Sears has had difficulty finding an issue to get “traction for her campaign” and that pressing Spanberger on whether she still backs Jones has been “the most compelling” issue of her campaign.
“But it doesn’t seem like it’s really big enough to move the governor’s race, particularly given how aggressively Spanberger has condemned what Jones said,” Farnsworth noted.
Polls have consistently shown Spanberger with a lead over Earle-Sears, who could become the first Black woman in the country to be elected governor.
Farnsworth said it is important for Democrats to win both the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial races, if they are to make an argument that they are developing momentum to alter the balance of power in Congress.
“Oftentimes, Virginia is seen as a leading political indicator, maybe more so than New Jersey, because we’re more purple than New Jersey is,” Farnsworth said. “But the reality for both parties is that you want the bragging rights of having a good year in Virginia in year one of a presidential term, to give you a sense of inevitability of gains during year two — the midterm congressional elections.”
Democrats only need to pick up a handful of seats to regain power in the U.S. House.
Farnsworth said Spanberger and former New Jersey Rep. Mikie Sherrill, the Democratic candidate for governor in the Garden State, are both quality candidates.
They also have the advantage of a lot of “frustration and anger” among Democratic voters, aimed at the president, which helps drive turnout.
But polls have shown a tightening of the race between Sherrill and Republican Jack Ciattarelli, who has been endorsed by Trump. Farnsworth said it would be a “very, very bad sign for Democrats” going into the midterms if they don’t prevail in both states, but especially in Virginia.
Former President Barack Obama announced Tuesday that he plans to campaign in Virginia for Spanberger, appearing with her in Norfolk on Nov. 1.
“Virginia’s elections are some of the most important in the country this year,” Obama said in a recently released ad for Spanberger.
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Virginia’s election is only a few weeks away and the race for attorney general is drawing attention following the discovery of text messages sent in 2022 by Democratic nominee Jay Jones.
Virginia’s election is only a few weeks away and the race for attorney general is drawing attention following the discovery of text messages sent in 2022 by Democratic nominee Jay Jones.
In the messages, which recently resurfaced, Jones described a hypothetical scenario in which he would kill then-Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert. The messages were sent to Republican House of Delegates candidate Carrie Coyner.
At the time, Jones wrote:
Three people, two bullets
Gilbert, hitler, and pol pot
Gilbert gets two bullets to the head
Spoiler: put Gilbert in the crew with the two worst people you know and he receives both bullets every time
Polling
Since the discovery, Jones has faced numerous calls from both Democrats and Republicans to drop out of the race. Polls have also shown the margins tightening between him and Republican incumbent candidate Jason Miyares.
Kyle Kondik, managing editor of Sabato’s Crystal Ball from the University of Virginia Center for Politics, said whether or not Miyares is really leading in polls remains to be seen.
“I don’t think we’ve really gotten true, nonpartisan polling of the race. Since the news about Jay Jones came out, there have been a few polls — including one from Jones’ campaign — that showed Jones losing ground, which makes sense. I mean, this is a huge story in Virginia politics,” Kondik said.
Thursday’s AG debate
The candidates for attorney general are set to have their first and only debate on Thursday.
Kondik said Miyares will likely try to ensure Jones’ text messages stay front and center in the minds of voters.
“I think the key thing is, what happens in this debate, and does it either sustain or stall this story?” Kondik said.
He also highlighted new advertisements incorporating the text messages from Jones.
“Miyares has already run, what I think are, some pretty effective ads using this text messaging story against Jones. And so he should be able to have some sort of advantage on that down the stretch of the election,” Kondik said.
National politics and ticket splitting
Despite the recent controversy surrounding Jones, Kondik said the current political environment still favors Democrats in Virginia politics. He also pointed to the polling in Virginia’s race for governor, which shows Democrat Abigail Spanberger leading Republican candidate Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears.
“The challenge is, I think, it’s still probably a Democratic-leaning environment overall, in Virginia and nationally in 2025,” Kondik said. “I do think Abigail Spanberger is still favored in the governor’s race, and then the question is whether there are long enough coattails to allow Jones to win.”
He said ticket splitting has been on the decline in Virginia and it’s a great test to see how potent ticket splitting is.
“It’s possible that Jones gets beat up on this story for the rest of the campaign, but still is able to win just because of these bigger picture factors,” Kondik said.
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With just weeks until Election Day, the Virginia gubernatorial race is heating up with increasingly negative ads. Experts say both campaigns are leveraging national party tensions to sway voters.
If you think the television, radio and online advertising in the Virginia governor’s race is increasingly negative, you’re not alone.
With the election a mere three weeks away, Democrat Abigail Spanberger and Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears are doing their best to link their opponent to the most negative elements of their national parties, according to a political communications expert from Virginia Tech.
“The thing about negative advertising is that everyone says they don’t like it, but the reason why we have negative ads is because they work,” said Cayce Myers, director of graduate studies in the school of communications at Virginia Tech.
The Republican lieutenant governor has flooded the airwaves with ads focused on the cultural divide that helped President Donald Trump win the presidency last fall, casting Spanberger as unwilling to protect Virginia’s children from sexual predators.
Earle-Sears’ team even replicated some of the same messaging used against former Vice President Kamala Harris, saying Spanberger is “for they/them, not for us.”
“They work because it allows people to frame their opponent in a particular way,” Myers told WTOP. “It also allows them to build a narrative in the election. And we know that people just in general respond, in a political sense, more to negative than to positive.”
Myers said Republicans want the election to be a referendum on far-left progressive politics, especially parental rights and education. On the other side of the aisle, Democrats want the election to be about the chaos of Trump’s administration, including the government shutdown.
“There’s a lot to be said for people who are motivated to vote against someone than to vote for someone,” Myers said. “That’s one of the reasons why the race has become much more negative than we normally see.”
He pointed to last week’s debate in which Earle-Sears continuously interrupted Spanberger in an attempt to throw her off balance and make an unintentional comment, despite being admonished by the moderators.
“It’s this kind of off-the-cuff remark that a lot of politicians seize upon that they can then repackage into advertising and also leverage for viral content,” he said. “I don’t think (Earle-Sears) really got that.”
Spanberger faced forward throughout the debate, avoided eye contact and rarely addressed Earle-Sears directly. She did not speak during Earle-Sears’ answers, even when her opponent asked direct questions, resulting in moments of awkward silence.
In any case, Virginia’s gubernatorial campaign will be historic, as it could result in the first woman being elected the Commonwealth’s 75th governor.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Republican Winsome Earle-Sears and Democrat Abigail Spanberger are slated to debate their competing visions for Virginia on Thursday in the state’s gubernatorial race.
WTOP’s Nick Iannelli talks with both candidates about the government shutdown.
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Republican Winsome Earle-Sears and Democrat Abigail Spanberger faced off for the first and only time on the debate stage Thursday night in Virginia’s high-stakes governors race.
It was a fiery affair in which Earle-Sears, who is trailing in the race, went on the offensive from the very beginning, repeatedly interrupting Spanberger and asking her several direct questions.
Spanberger, who largely avoided addressing her Republican opponent directly, sought to cast a bipartisan tone at times. Over the course of the hourlong affair, the candidates sparred over violent rhetoric, the federal shutdown and transgender children. The economy was largely an afterthought.
Virginia is one of just two states choosing governors this November, and its election is often seen as a bellwether for the party in power across the Potomac River ahead of midterm elections next year.
Washington politics are especially relevant this year in Virginia, as Trump’s cuts to the federal workforce and Congress’ current government shutdown have an outsize impact in a state filled with federal employees and military personnel.
Here’s are some takeaways from the debate at Norfolk State University:
A scandal at the outset
A scandal shaped the very beginning of the debate, although it was not a scandal directly involving either candidate onstage.
Instead, it was the Democratic candidate for attorney general, Jay Jones. He has been heavily criticized in recent days following last week’s publication of text messages from 2022 in which he suggested that Virginia’s former Republican House speaker get “two bullets in the head.”
Republicans across the nation, including Trump and Earle-Sears, have demanded that Jones quit his race. Over and over again Thursday night, Earle-Sears pushed Spanberger on whether she would do the same.
“Abigail, what if he said it about your three children? Is that when you would say it’s time to get out of the race?” Earle-Sears asked. She later added, “She has no courage.”
Spanberger had largely avoided the issue in the days leading up to the debate, aside from issuing a public statement condemning the texts. But facing repeated questions from the moderators and her opponent, she was forced to weigh in.
The Democratic congresswoman declined to say whether Jones should leave the race, saying it’s up to voters to make their own decision.
“Are you saying political murder is OK?” Earle-Sears charged.
“Once again, I have denounced political violence, political rhetoric, no matter who is leading the charge,” Spanberger responded, pointing to violent rhetoric from Trump that Earle-Sears declined to denounce and trying to sound a bipartisan tone.
“You routinely refer to me as your enemy. I’m not your enemy. You are not my enemy. We are political opponents,” Spanberger said.
The clash comes as threats of political violence have escalated across the country following the shooting deaths of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and former Minnesota Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband.
The shutdown
The showdown over the shutdown flared Thursday night.
The federal shutdown, which has been underway for more than a week, is especially prevalent in Virginia, home to roughly 315,000 federal workers. Even before much of the federal government closed its doors last week, many Virginians were already affected by Trump’s spring push to slash federal jobs and his ongoing threats to impose more mass firings.
Earle-Sears, a vocal Trump supporter, had perhaps the more difficult challenge during the debate. She argued that she is best positioned to strengthen the state’s economy, even as she was reluctant to criticize the Republican president’s job cuts in the state.
She declined to criticize Trump or call on him to end the shutdown when asked directly by the moderators Thursday.
Instead, she blamed Democrats for the mess and called on Spanberger to push Virginia Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, both Democrats, to vote in favor of a spending bill that would end the impasse with the Republican-controlled Congress.
Spanberger complied.
“I would encourage everyone, our Democratic senators, our Democratic House members, our Republican House members, to work and come back to the table,” she said.
Culture wars vs. wallets
Many voters say they’re most concerned about the direction of the economy, but some of the most pointed moments of the debate were focused on cultural issues.
In particular, Earle-Sears pressed Spanberger on whether she would keep transgender youths out of high school sports and bathrooms.
The Republican lieutenant governor has flooded the airwaves with ads focused on the cultural divide that helped Trump win the presidency last fall, casting Spanberger as unwilling to protect Virginia’s children from sexual predators.
“My answer is that each local community decision should be made between parents and educators and teachers in each community,” Spanberger said, pointing to her background in law enforcement and role as a mother.
“Nothing is more important to me than the safety of all children,” she said.
Spanberger declined to say whether she would rescind the measure signed by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin that would require students to go only to the restrooms of their birth gender.
That did not satisfy Earle-Sears, who pressed Spanberger on what she would say if her own children were forced to undress in a bathroom with biological males. The Republican also implied that transgender students are a safety threat when asked.
“We know that biological men are larger in strength than women,” she said. “This is biology.”
History in the making
Two women stood on the debate stage as the Democratic and Republican nominees for for the first time in state history, a reminder that Virginia is poised to elect its first female governor no matter who wins on Nov. 4.
Spanberger, 46, is a mother of three school-age children. She has represented a congressional district in northern Virginia since 2019. Her background is in law enforcement as a former CIA agent.
Earle-Sears, when asked what qualities she likes about her opponent, pointed to her family.
“I believe she is a devoted mom. I truly believe that,” Earle-Sears said. “And I do believe that she cares.”
Earle-Sears, a Marine veteran, may be better known statewide, having served as lieutenant governor for the last four years. A native of Jamaica, the 61-year-old mother of two is the first Black woman elected to statewide office in Virginia.
Spanberger complimented parts of her record.
“I admire her faith,” Spanberger said, “and her service to this country.”
Race and gender have been issues in the election.
Earle-Sears was the target of a racist sign displayed by a protester in August that touched on her opposition to transgender people using bathrooms that don’t match the sex on their birth certificates.
The sign read, “Hey Winsome, if trans can’t share your bathroom, then blacks can’t share my water fountain.”
___
Peoples reported from New York. AP writer Thomas Beaumont in Des Moines, Iowa, contributed. Olivia Diaz is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Winsome Earle-Sears faces strong headwinds in her campaign to be Virginia’s next Republican governor. Could an endorsement from President Donald Trump help?
Virginia Republican gubernatorial candidate, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, attends the 54th Annual Buena Vista Labor Day Festival on September 01, 2025 in Buena Vista, Virginia. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — Winsome Earle-Sears faces strong headwinds in her campaign to be Virginia’s next Republican governor.
She’s been outpaced in fundraising and lags in polling behind her Democratic rival, Rep. Abigail Spanberger. And the support from one voice that could narrow this race is largely absent.
President Donald Trump has yet to endorse Earle-Sears, Virginia’s current lieutenant governor. While slamming Spanberger during an event in Virginia for the U.S. Navy’s 250th anniversary over the weekend, Trump did not mention Earle-Sears, a Marine Corps veteran, at all.
Earle-Sears and Trump’s relationship turned tepid in 2022 after the lieutenant governor suggested it was time for the Republican Party to “move on” past him and declined to support his third White House bid.
“A true leader understands when they have become a liability. A true leader understands that it’s time to step off the stage. And the voters have given us that very clear message,” Earle-Sears said at the time.
Trump then undercut Earle-Sears on Truth Social, writing that he “never felt good” about her, and that she was a “phony.”
ABC News has reached out to The White House, Earle-Sears’ campaign and the Virginia GOP for comment.
Attorney general’s race
And now, as Republicans are at high risk of losing control of Virginia’s governor’s mansion, their chief executive and others in the administration are nowhere to be found on the campaign trail for Earle-Sears.
Yet they’re not completely withdrawn from Virginia politics.
Both Trump and Vice President JD Vance have joined the chorus of Republican voices calling for the resignation of Democratic attorney general candidate and former Virginia delegate Jay Jones after text messages to then-fellow Virginia delegate Carrie Coyner surfaced detailing a hypothetical situation about then-Speaker of the House Todd Gilbert getting “two bullets to the head.”
The National Review reported Jones also wished for Gilbert’s wife to “watch her own child die in her arms so that Gilbert might reconsider his political views.”
Coyner, a Republican, claimed in a note sent to her constituents this week and obtained by ABC that Jones meant to text someone else initially, but was OK with chatting when he realized it was her. She says once she expressed “alarm” about the messages, Jones “continued to try to justify his initial statements by phone and by text.”
Jones has apologized for the messages, telling WRIC that he “sincerely and from the bottom of my heart, want to express my remorse and my regret for what happened and what I said that language has no place in our discourse, and I am so remorseful for what happened.”
In a statement to ABC News, Coyner also alleged that in a separate phone call in 2020 during a conversation about police qualified immunity, Jones suggested that the death of a few officers might result in fewer police-inflicted killings.
“During the debate on repealing qualified immunity for law enforcement in Virginia, legislation Jay Jones supported, I stated that I believed that removing qualified immunity would make officers hesitate when making split second decisions, which would lead people and police officers to get killed. Jay stated that if a few police officers died maybe they would move on and stop killing people. His statements were and still are disqualifying, people should not have to die to prove Jay Jones’ talking points,” Coyner said to ABC.
Jones denied those remarks in a statement to ABC: “I have never believed and do not believe that any harm should come to law enforcement, period.”
Vance, on X, claimed Jones was “fantasizing about murdering his political opponents” and Trump labeled Jones as a “radial left lunatic” while offering his endorsement of Jason Miyares, Jones’ Republican opponent.
On this issue, the White House and Earle-Sears align — she’s also called for Jones to drop out, and has even cut an ad featuring screenshots of the aforementioned texts. Earle-Sears and Virginia Republicans are attempting to link this scandal to Spanberger, who say her recent advice on the campaign trail to “let your rage fuel you” as motivation to resist against Republicans is incendiary.
Spanberger has not called for Jones to step aside, yet said in a statement that she feels “disgust” for his language and condemned violent language in politics.
Still, Earle-Sears has less than a month to use this scandal as momentum and inch closer to Spanberger — with or without White House aid.
A once-happy Virginia Democratic ticket. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images
Until very recently, the much-watched off-year elections in Virginia were looking pretty bad for Republicans. Their gubernatorial candidate, Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, has been struggling to compete financially and politically with Democrat Abigail Spanberger, a centrist congresswoman. Specific candidacies aside, Virginia has a long history of rejecting gubernatorial candidates from the party controlling the White House (which helped outgoing Republican governor Glenn Youngkin defeat Terry McAuliffe in 2021). Add in the Commonwealth’s recent blue-leaning tendencies and the terrible treatment its many federal employees have received from the second Trump administration, and you can understand why national Republicans have been more interested in the other big off-year gubernatorial contest in New Jersey.
But now the Virginia GOP may have caught a break via some oppo research on the Democratic candidate for attorney general by National Review:
On August 8, 2022, a Republican state legislator received a disturbing string of early-morning text messages from a former colleague, Jay Jones, this year’s Democratic nominee for Virginia attorney general …
Jones, who at the time had recently resigned from the state house after a brief stint representing Norfolk, had strong feelings about how the political class was eulogizing recently deceased former state legislator Joe Johnson Jr., a moderate Democrat with a long tenure in Virginia politics …
“If those guys die before me,” Jones wrote, referencing the Republican colleagues who were publicly honoring the deceased Johnson’s memory, “I will go to their funerals to piss on their graves” to “send them out awash in something.”
Jones then suggested that, presented with a hypothetical situation in which he had only two bullets and was faced with the choice of murdering then-Speaker of the House Todd Gilbert or two dictators, he’d shoot Gilbert “every time.”
Apparently the texts were intended for a different recipient, but Jones’s words shouldn’t have been said to anybody about anybody. He reportedly compounded the offense in a follow-up phone call to the accidental recipient of the text suggesting that “he wished Gilbert’s wife could watch her own child die in her arms so that Gilbert might reconsider his political views.”
This was years ago, and Jones hasn’t displayed any offline violent tendencies, but as you can imagine, Republicans see a huge opportunity: not just to potentially defeat Jones (who was favored to win before all this controversy) but to divide and defeat the entire Democratic statewide ticket, as Axios explains:
Leading Virginia Democrats, including the statewide ticket, have condemned the comments Jones made in 2022 suggesting a hypothetical scenario in which he would shoot the then-Republican House speaker and wished harm on his children.
But none have called for Jones to step aside …
Gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears and lieutenant governor nominee John Reid are pressuring their opponents on social media to call on Jones to drop out.
Jones, Democratic gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger and lieutenant governor nominee Ghazala Hashmi’s campaigns didn’t immediately respond to Axios’ request for comment.
Unsurprisingly, those great advocates for civility in political discourse, Donald Trump and J.D. Vance, have jumped into the fray with the latter quickly using the texts to defend himself and his boss for their own recent lapses in taste:
Conservative media is all over this story, and Jones’s abject apologies for the texts have cut no ice in those circles. He’s not the real target anyway; it’s Spanberger, and as Axios put it, “pushing Jones off the ticket could fracture Democrats’ chances in a pivotal statewide race seen as a bellwether for next year.” To be clear, in Virginia statewide candidates run independently, so there’s not really a “ticket” the gubernatorial nominee can control. For another, Jones is the sole Black statewide Democratic nominee, in a state where Democrats rely heavily on robust Black turnout.
I’m sure there’s back-channel talk about Jones “doing the right thing” and relieving his colleagues of his problems, along with pushback against the cynical manipulation of the “crisis” by Republicans. White House policy director Stephen Miller commented that Jones’s texts showed how “dangerously radicalized the Democrat Party has become.” But then Miller very clearly believes the “Democrat Party” should be outlawed, since, as he recently said, it is “an entity devoted exclusively [his emphasis] to the defense of hardened criminals, gang-bangers, and illegal, alien killers and terrorists.” Pleasing the likes of Miller would be galling for Virginia Democrats. Perhaps Jones and his party can tough it all out, but MAGA folk will incessantly use his example to buttress their absurd argument that the main source of violent political talk is left of center and will perhaps even pull off an electoral shocker in a time and place in which the Boss and his agenda aren’t very popular.
A new poll shows Democrat Abigail Spanberger with a double-digit lead over Republican Winsome Earle-Sears in Virginia’s governor’s race.
A new poll shows Democrat Abigail Spanberger with a double-digit lead in Virginia’s governor’s race.
The Washington Post/Schar School poll found Spanberger ahead of Republican Winsome Earle-Sears by 12 points among likely voters — 55% to 43%.
Spanberger also holds a 13-point advantage among registered voters overall.
This poll, conducted last week and surveying more than 1,000 registered voters in Virginia, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.
Scott Clement, polling director for The Washington Post, joined WTOP’s Shawn Anderson and Anne Kramer on Friday to break down the polling.
Scott Clement, polling director for The Washington Post, joined WTOP to break down a new poll showing Abigail Spanberger with a double-digit lead in Virginia’s governor race.
The transcript below has been lightly edited for clarity.
Anne Kramer:
Let’s break this down a little bit. You have Spanberger leading by double digits. What’s going on here, and how did you get to this point?
Scott Clement:
Spanberger is benefiting from a few things. One, most voters disapprove of President Trump’s job performance in Virginia and this is a really common pattern in Virginia the year after presidential election that tends to push back against the president, sort of an early warning sign of the midterms. Down to the actual voters. Voters have a lot of different concerns. But one of the big patterns helping Spanberger is she has a big lead among political independents, 27 percentage points. She’s also more popular than Winsome Earle-Sears personally. So she’s got a couple things at her back.
Shawn Anderson:
Now, 12 points at this point in the race, a 12 point lead overall. That is a heck of a lead this close to the election, isn’t it?
Scott Clement:
It’s a wide lead and we’ve seen these races tighten sometimes in the final month, not always getting back to a full comeback. But it’s a significant lead. If it holds to election day, would be one of the larger victories for governor in Virginia.
Anne Kramer:
Talk to us about independent voters. Where are they going for Spanberger here? Because that’s what it shows, right?
Scott Clement:
That’s right. You see a couple of different patterns there. I mean, one it really mirrors some of the ratings of Trump and group that he did well. Spanberger is also uniquely doing well among independents compared with down ballot Democrats. So that’s actually one of the reasons that the Virginia attorney general and lieutenant governor races are closer, is that Democrat Jay Jones and Democrat because Allah Hashmi have smaller advantages among political independents. Democrats and Republicans, by contrast, are overwhelmingly lining up behind their party’s candidates.
Shawn Anderson:
How much of a factor, if you could find it, is President Trump in shaping voter attitudes, particularly with what’s going on with the federal government shutdown right now?
Scott Clement:
It’s big and it’s difficult to measure. We asked people to rate how important Trump was in their vote for governor, and you had a big majority saying that it was at least fairly important in their vote. It was particularly important for people who disapprove of Trump, but also for people who approve. And we asked the same question eight years ago during the governor’s election, then and more people say that Trump is important to their vote today than they did eight years ago. So it seemed very high at the time. It’s even higher this time around.
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It’s early on a Thursday evening and Winsome Earle-Sears, Virginia’s Republican candidate for governor, is in a familiar place. She’s standing outside of a school board meeting to call attention to policies related to where transgender students can use their elected bathroom and play school sports.
Falls Church, VA (CNN) — It’s early on a Thursday evening and Winsome Earle-Sears, Virginia’s Republican candidate for governor, is in a familiar place. She’s standing outside of a school board meeting to call attention to policies related to where transgender students can use their elected bathroom and play school sports.
“Let’s have girls have their private spaces and boys have their private spaces,” she said to applause. “It has worked for how many millennia and certainly it can work now.”
Earle-Sears has blanketed the airwaves with ads that characterize Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic nominee, as “being for they/them,” replicating the messaging used against former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. She is airing the ads during college and pro football games just as President Donald Trump’s campaign did last year.
On Friday, she will address an event hosted by the conservative group Moms for Liberty, an organization that says it works to defend parental rights at all levels of government.
Polls in Virginia and elsewhere suggest the top issue on voters’ minds this fall is affordability. But Earle-Sears has made trans policies a centerpiece of her messaging ahead of the November election, hammering her Democratic counterpart for not answering whether she agrees that trans youth should be able to use any bathroom in a school building or play on a sports team that corresponds with their gender identity.
Just in September, the Earle-Sears campaign spent over $2 million on ads focused on transgender policy, more than it spent on any other topic, including spots referring to “woke Abigail Spanberger.”
“She has to do something to differentiate herself and stand out in a very disaggregated media landscape and make up for the enthusiasm gap the Republicans have in Virginia,” said Chris Saxman, a Republican strategist who served as Earle-Sears’ transition director after she was elected lieutenant governor and is now president of the business newsletter Virginia FREE.
Democratic strategist Rodell Mollineau says focusing on transgender rights could work in some places but not in Virginia.
“The Earle-Sears campaign is counting on transgender rights splitting independent and center-right voters in the same way it was problematic for Vice President Harris,” Mollineau said. “The difference is it’s no longer 2024, Spanberger has done a great job of defining herself as a middle-of-the-road Democrat, and Earle-Sears is carrying the mantle for Trump in a state that hasn’t embraced MAGA.”
A poll of likely Virginia voters in September found they were most concerned about inflation and cost of living, followed by threats to democracy. According to the poll, conducted by Christopher Newport University, Democrats listed threats to democracy as by far their biggest concern while Republicans were split between cost-of-living concerns, immigration and crime.
National polling, meanwhile, also suggests that debates over transgender policies rank lower among some voters’ priorities. A nationwide CNN poll of adults released this month found that 33% said transgender policies were “extremely” or “very important,” ranking last among the issues surveyed, while 43% said it was “not too” or “not at all important,” the highest percentage of any issue that was asked about.
When asked by CNN at her earlier news conference if she was emphasizing policies related to transgender children at the expense of talking about the economy, Earle-Sears defended her focus.
“Look at all of these people here. They are supporting women’s rights,” she said.
Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, a Republican who is running for reelection, also defended focusing on the issue despite voters’ stated desire to talk about affordability. “This has been a huge issue in Virginia,” Miyares told CNN in an interview. “It’s absolutely something I hear about on the campaign trail, from voters and students and people that come up and talk to me and people that stop me.”
Spanberger, the former three-term Democratic congresswoman, told WSET that she would “support a bill that would put clear provisions in place that provide a lot of local ability for input, based on the age of children, based on the type of sport, based on competitiveness.”
“Ultimately, Abigail believes that these are decisions that must be made between parents, schools, and local communities — not politicians, and she believes that we need to get politics out of our public schools,” said a spokesperson for the campaign.
A host of downballot Virginia Republicans are mirroring Earle-Sears’ messaging topics as are GOP candidates running in Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee. And outgoing Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin this week announced that he has issued a state directive meant to “secure the health, safety, privacy, dignity and respect for all Virginians in sex-separated spaces.”
Trans people who oppose the Republican focus say they feel forgotten.
“It feels as though I’ve kind of been boiled down into a talking point. My life is part of just this strategy to make people angry and afraid and scared and prey on the population of trans kids in this country, which is inherently very vulnerable,” said Reed Williams, the 23-year-old digital director at Equality Virginia who transitioned at 12 while enrolled in the state’s public schools.
A decade ago, she says, her transition was supported by her family and school community. She worries that youth now won’t have access to the same level of support.
“I just wish that people could have a little more empathy,” Williams said.
Earle-Sears, though, is counting on conservative parents in Democratic strongholds like Fairfax County, echoing Youngkin’s successful emphasis on parental rights in schools four years ago.
A mother who declined to be named out of fear of exposing her family says she didn’t find out her child was transitioning until she went to access academic records and was shocked to see a different name.
“I did the best that I could at the time and I think the school did the best as well, but I think they should have told me,” she told CNN, adding that she voted early for Earle-Sears but does not broadcast her politics publicly.
Mark Harris, a political consultant to Earle-Sears, said the campaign thinks this is an issue that can help them with independents, moderate Democrats, Asian and Black Americans.
“From the campaign perspective, it’s a great issue to draw clear contrast between us and Spanberger and her being beholden to this very out-of-touch group of people that are driving the Democratic agenda,” Harris said in an interview with CNN.
Those supporting Democrats this fall reject that argument and say Earle-Sears and others aren’t speaking to the real concerns of most voters.
“They’re focused on things that don’t matter and they’re ignoring the millions of Americans whose health care is at risk,” said Laura Packard, a small business owner and cancer survivor who showed up to protest an Earle-Sears event.
Virginia State Sen. Danica Roem, the first openly transgender person to be elected and serve in both chambers of a state legislature in the nation’s history, says the overemphasis on trans issues indicates Earle-Sears is running a losing campaign.
“I’ve seen this happen. I have seen this playbook. It is not going to work,” said Roem, who suggested that top of mind for many Virginians is the uncertainty coming from the federal government in a state that is home to more than 300,000 federal workers.
Roem represents a state Senate district centered on Manassas, outside of Washington, DC, and has routinely been reelected after first flipping a state legislative district from red to blue in 2017.
“They attacked me over sports. They’ve attacked me over bathrooms. They’ve attacked me over health care. They’ve attacked me over forced outing, you name it. And I won,” she said.
On Wednesday, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican who is barred from seeking a second consecutive term, attacked the Democratic frontrunner in the race to replace him, Abigail Spanberger. His accusation centered on Fairfax County’s protections for transgender students and the former congresswoman’s support for LGBTQ+ people.
“These radical gender policies are not just some abstract fight over politics — they are hurting real children in Fairfax County schools every day. We are working with the U.S. Department of Education to reverse these policies and protect girls in our schools but every Virginia parent needs to understand this: @winwithwinsome will fight with you, and @SpanbergerforVA will fight against you,” Youngkin wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
The post promoting his lieutenant governor, Winsom Earle-Sears, the Republican candidate, echoed Earle-Sears’s recent complaints about Spanberger, a former CIA officer and three-term congresswoman who leads in early polling. Virginia is the only state in the country where governors are prohibited from serving consecutive terms.
Youngkin’s remarks included claims from the Defense of Freedom Institute, a conservative group staffed by former Trump officials that recently filed a Title IX complaint against Fairfax County Public Schools. Title IX is a federal law passed in 1972 that prohibits sex discrimination in education programs that receive federal funding. It has long been credited with expanding opportunities for women and girls in sports and academics. Republicans have claimed that protecting trans students under Title IX harms cisgender women in education and sports.
The complaint centers on a transgender girl at West Springfield High School in Northern Virginia near Washington, D.C., who used the girls’ locker room. It alleges that administrators violated Title IX by allowing her access, despite objections from some parents.
Fairfax officials, however, say their policies comply with anti-discrimination law and ensure all students are treated with dignity.
Youngkin’s attack coincided with a broader move by the Trump administration. On Thursday, the Education Department announced it would cancel more than $65 million in magnet school grants for New York City, Chicago, and Fairfax County after the districts refused to change policies protecting transgender and nonbinary students or to roll back diversity and equity programs, the New York Timesreports. Magnet schools are specialized public schools designed to promote integration and offer advanced curricula, leaving thousands of students at risk of losing access to resources.
Federal officials justified the cuts as a defense of civil rights, arguing that gender-inclusive policies discriminate against cisgender girls. Advocates counter that the administration is weaponizing civil rights law to roll back protections for LGBTQ+ youth and undermine racial equity initiatives.
For Republicans, the fight is also campaign messaging. Earle-Sears has leaned heavily on cultural issues, airing an ad that depicted transgender girls as threats to their peers, which LGBTQ+ advocates condemned as “fearmongering.” Another Republican spot mocked they/them pronouns, repeating an attack President Donald Trump used in his 2024 campaign against former Vice President Kamala Harris.
Spanberger has taken the opposite tack, centering her campaign on affordability, safety, and education quality. Asked recently about her position on transgender girls in sports and bathrooms, Spanberger told ABC affiliate WSET that Virginia had for years relied on a local, case-by-case process in which principals, parents, and coaches weighed factors like age, competitiveness, and safety. “It was one that took individual circumstances and individual communities into account, and I think that is the process that Virginia should continue to utilize,” she said, adding that she recognized concerns from parents as the mother of three daughters in public schools.
Early voting begins Friday in a critical election in Virginia to determine the next governor, House of Delegates seats and a long list of local races.
Early voting begins Friday in a critical election in Virginia to determine the next governor, House of Delegates seats and a long list of local races.
Political pundits will be reading the tea leaves to determine whether Democrats are gaining momentum, one year removed from their overwhelming defeat in last year’s presidential election and one year ahead of the midterms they hope to win to regain control in Congress.
The main event is the race for governor, which has pitted the current Republican lieutenant governor, Winsome Earle-Sears, against Democratic former U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger. The other major statewide offices of lieutenant governor and attorney general are also up for grabs.
All 100 seats in Virginia’s House of Delegates are also on the ballot, though some are not contested. Democrats have a slim 51-49 majority headed into November.
There’s also a slew of local races across Northern Virginia and the rest of the commonwealth.
Dates at a glance
Early in-person voting: Sept. 19 through Nov. 1
Deadline to register or update voter registration: Oct. 24
Before voting either early or on Election Day, be sure to register to vote or confirm your voter registration is up to date.
For information on early voting locations, voters should check in with their city or county elections office. Each jurisdiction may have different policies regarding early voting, and early voting locations may differ from your Election Day polling place.
Mail ballots must be postmarked on or before Election Day and received by noon on Nov. 7.
Voters should check in with their city of county elections office for information about drop boxes and their locations.
Voting on Election Day
Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 4. Voters in line by 7 p.m. will be able to cast a ballot.
All voters need to provide an acceptable form of ID or sign an ID confirmation statement at the polls or vote a provisional ballot. Those who vote a provisional ballot will have until noon on the Friday after the election to deliver a copy of their ID to their jurisdiction’s election board or sign a confirmation statement in order for their ballot to be counted.
Virginia is one of two states, along with New Jersey, that conducts statewide races, including its governor’s contest, in the year following a presidential election, meaning these races will draw attention from politicos across the U.S.
The top of the ticket features the closely watched governor’s race between Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears and Democratic former U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger.
A Roanoke College poll released in August showed Spanberger ahead of Earle-Sears. Spanberger also has a hefty fundraising advantage, having raised more than $40 million for her campaign to Earle-Sears’ nearly $17 million, according to the Virginia Public Access Project.
No matter who wins the general election, Virginia is set to elect a woman as governor for the first time this fall.
For lieutenant governor, voters will decide between Democratic state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi and Republican radio host John Reid.
Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares is seeking reelection, and is facing Democratic challenger Jay Jones, an attorney and former state delegate.
House of Delegates
All 100 House of Delegates seats are up for grabs during November’s election, but not all are contested. The contested races in the D.C. area are below:
An asterisk denotes an incumbent. Locations are within district but do not provide the full scope of the voting area.
District 1, part of Arlington County
Patrick Hope, Democrat*
William “Bill” Moher III, Republican
District 2, part of Arlington County
Adele McClure, Democrat*
Wendy Sigley, Republican
District 6, Fairfax County (Great Falls, McLean)
Richard “Rip” Sullivan Jr., Democrat*
Kristin Hoffman, Republican
District 7, Fairfax County (Reston)
Karen Keys-Gamarra, Democrat*
Cassandra Aucoin, Republican
District 8, Fairfax County (Herndon, Oak Hill)
Irene Shin, Democrat*
Indira Massey, Republican
District 9, Fairfax County (Chantilly, Centreville)
Karrie Delaney, Democrat*
Nhan Huynh, Republican
District 10, Fairfax County (Centreville, Clifton, Braddock)
Dan Helmer, Democrat*
David Guill, Republican
District 11, City of Fairfax and Fairfax County (Oakton, Fair Oaks)
David Bulova, Democrat*
Adam Wise, Republican
Brandon Givens, Forward Party
District 12, Fairfax County (Tysons, Vienna, Merrifield)
Holly Seibold, Democrat*
Nelson Figueroa-Velez, Republican
District 13, Falls Church and Fairfax County (Merrifield, Seven Corners)
Marcus Simon, Democrat*
Sylwia Oleksy, Republican
Dave Crance Jr., Libertarian
District 14, Fairfax County (Annandale, Wakefield, Lincolnia)
Vivian Watts, Democrat*
Eric Johnson, Republican
District 15, Fairfax County (Burke)
Laura Jane Cohen, Democrat*
Saundra Davis, Republican
District 16, Fairfax County (Mount Vernon, Fort Hunt, Woodlawn)
Paul Krizek, Democrat*
Richard Hayden, Republican
Shelly Arnoldi, Independent
District 17, Fairfax County (Springfield, Franconia)
Mark Sickles, Democrat*
Naomi Mesfin, Republican
District 18, Fairfax County (Springfield, Newington, Lorton)
Kathy Tran, Democrat*
Edward McGovern, Republican
District 20, Manassas, Manassas Park, part of Prince William County
Michelle-Ann Lopes Maldonado, Democrat*
Christopher Stone, Republican
District 21, Prince William County (Bull Run, Gainesville)
Joshua Thomas, Democrat*
Gregory “Greg” Gorham, Republican
District 22, Prince William County (Linton Hall, Bristow, Nokesville, Buckhall)
Elizabeth Guzman, Democrat
Ian Lovejoy, Republican*
District 23, Prince William County (Dumfries, Triangle) and Stafford County (Boswell’s Corner, Aquia)
Candi King, Democrat*
James Tully, Republican
District 26, Loudoun County (Brambleton, Stone Ridge, South Riding)
JJ Singh, Democrat*
Ommair Butt, Republican
District 27, Loudoun County (Sterling, Sugarland Run, Dulles)
Atoosa Reaser, Democrat*
Junaid Khan, Republican
District 28, Loudoun County (Ashburn, Countryside)
David Reid, Democrat*
Janet Geisler, Republican
District 29, Loudoun County (Leesburg, Lansdowne)
Fernando “Marty” Martinez, Democrat*
Scott Thomas, Republican
District 30, Loudoun County (Purcellville) and Fauquier County (Marshall)
John McAuliff, Democrat
Geary Higgins, Republican*
District 61, Fauquier County (Warrenton, Bealeton) and parts of Culpeper and Rappahannock counties
Jacob “Jac” Bennington, Democrat
Michael Webert, Republican*
Local races
Most jurisdictions in Northern Virginia have local races of some sort, whether they are contests for mayor, county board, school board, city council or sheriff.
Check the full list of local races on the Virginia Department of Elections website. Voters can also check in with their county or city electoral board for more information on local races.
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