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  • Virginia election winners break race and gender barriers amid national scrutiny on diversity

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    RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — As the polls closed on Tuesday across Virginia, it quickly became clear it was a night of firsts: Voters overwhelmingly elected a slate of candidates who broke race and gender barriers in contests considered among the most consequential nationally.

    Republicans in Virginia also fielded a historically diverse statewide ticket that would have set records.

    The results come as President Donald Trump has made his opposition to diversity initiatives a cornerstone of his platform, dismantling federal civil rights programs that sought to rectify a complicated history of racial discrimination. He has justified those moves by saying that race and gender equity programs overcorrect for past wrongs and foment anti-American sentiment — a position shared among many conservatives across the country.

    Still, Virginia’s election results — in tandem with high-profile Democratic victories across the U.S. — call into question whether Trump’s staunch positions on race, gender and gender identity are resonating with voters.

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    Virginia’s first female governor

    Democrat Abigail Spanberger won the Virginia governor’s race Tuesday, giving Democrats a key victory heading into the 2026 midterm elections and making history as the first woman ever to lead the Commonwealth. Her victory was decisive, with about 57% of the vote.

    The race was bound to make history regardless of who came out on top: Spanberger was running against Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, marking the first time two women were the front-runners in a general election for governor.

    In her acceptance speech, Spanberger recalled how her husband said to their three daughters, “Your mom is going to be the governor of Virginia.”

    “And I can guarantee you those words have never been spoken in Virginia, ever before,” she said, beaming.

    Spanberger said her victory meant Virginians were choosing “pragmatism over partisanship” and “leadership that will focus on problem solving and not stoking division.”

    First Muslim woman elected statewide

    Democrat Ghazala Hashmi defeated Republican John Reid in the race for lieutenant governor, becoming the first Indian American woman to win statewide office in Virginia. She is also the first Muslim woman to be elected statewide in the U.S.

    Firsts are not new to Hashmi. She was the first Muslim woman elected to the Virginia Senate five years ago. Hashmi, a former English professor born in India, said at the time that her opposition to Trump’s Muslim ban motivated her to break into politics.

    This time around, her campaign for lieutenant governor focused less on her identity and more on key issues, such as health and education. Still, some said her identity was a prominent factor in the race. Reid recently took to social media to tie Hashmi to Zohran Mamdani, the first Muslim elected mayor of New York City, despite marked differences in their platforms, nationalities and ages — a comparison critics said was Islamophobic.

    Like the governor’s race, the battle for lieutenant governor would have been historic either way: Reid was the first openly gay man nominated to statewide office in Virginia, and he faced hurdles on the trail in connection to his sexuality. GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin asked him to leave the ticket after opposition research linked him to a social media account with sexually explicit photos of men. At the time, Reid said he felt betrayed.

    In her victory speech, Hashmi said her candidacy reflected progress in the state and nation.

    “My own journey — from a young child landing at the airport in Savannah, Georgia, to now being elected as the first Muslim woman to achieve statewide office in Virginia and in the entire country — is only possible because of the depth and breadth of opportunities made available in this country and in this commonwealth.”

    Son of civil rights pioneers to be attorney general

    Democrat Jay Jones defeated Republican incumbent Attorney General Jason Miyares, becoming the first Black person elected as top prosecutor in the former capital of the Confederacy.

    Jones, a former Virginia delegate, comes from a long line of racial-justice trailblazers — a fact he emphasized throughout his campaign and after his victory.

    “My ancestors were slaves. My grandfather was a civil rights pioneer who braved Jim Crow,” Jones said Tuesday. “My mother, my uncles, my aunts endured segregation, all so that I could stand before you today.”

    That said, Jones’ victory is as much a referendum on dissatisfaction with the government shutdown and Trump’s mass firings, which have hit Virginia especially hard due to its high concentration of federal workers.

    Ever since Democrat Jimmy Carter won the White House in 1976, every time a new president has been elected, Virginia has voted in a governor the following year from the opposite party.

    Jones’ win comes after Miyares, elected in 2021, became the first Latino to hold a Virginia statewide office.

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  • Spanberger win leads Democratic sweep of statewide races in Virginia – WTOP News

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    Election Day has brought two major victories for Democrats in Virginia’s statewide races.

    Stay with WTOP on air, online and on our news app for team coverage, live results and analyses of election night in Virginia. Listen live.

    Abigail Spanberger has won a historic election to become Virginia’s first female governor and led a Democratic sweep of statewide races in an pivotal election ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

    Down ballot, Democrat Jay Jones won the attorney general race and Democratic state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi won the lieutenant governor race.

    The candidates’ wins dashed Republican hopes of maintaining power in all three top offices, currently led by Gov. Glenn Youngkin alongside Attorney General Jason Miyares and Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, who both lost their campaigns.

    More Election News

    Spanberger, a former congresswoman, won 57.5% of the vote and Earle-Sears fell behind with 42.3%, according to The Associated Press with 97% of votes counted as of 12:50 a.m.

    In the lieutenant governor race, Hashmi walked away with 55.6% of the vote, while Republican radio host John Reid fell behind with 44.1%, The Associated Press reported at 12:55 a.m. with 97% of votes counted. Hashmi will succeed Earle-Sears as the new lieutenant governor.

    Jones’ victory squashed Miyares’ bid for a second term as Virginia’s top prosecutor.

    The Democratic challenger prevailed over the incumbent despite controversy surrounding resurfaced text messages referencing political violence. Jones pulled ahead winning 53.1% of the vote while Miyares earned 46.5%, The Associated Press reported at 12:55 a.m. with 97% of votes counted.

    The results also mark a major victory for Democrats in an election that both parties have viewed as a bellwether for the midterm elections in 2026.

    Virginia’s election is also treated by analysts as a measure of voter attitudes amid a lengthy government shutdown during President Donald Trump’s second term in office.

    Outside the statewide races, all 100 seats in Virginia’s House of Delegates were up for grabs Tuesday. Democrats are projected to maintain their majority in the lower chamber.

    A moderate approach wins a high-stakes governor’s race

    The governor’s race was called in favor of Spanberger about one hour after polls closed.

    Spanberger delivered a victory speech in Richmond on Tuesday night, touching on topics such as education, abortion rights and the federal workforce.

    “We sent a message to every corner of the commonwealth, a message to our neighbors and our fellow Americans across the country,” Spanberger told a crowd of supporters. “We sent a message to the whole world that in 2025, Virginia chose pragmatism over partisanship. We chose our commonwealth over chaos.”

    Supporters at the celebration in the state’s capital shared their excitement with WTOP’s Scott Gelman.

    “This is history, the first woman governor in Virginia, and the right person to do the job,” said Monica Lucus, of Richmond. “I think it’s time for a change, and this is a burst of energy that the country needs, not just Virginia but the country.”

    After losing the governor’s race, Earle-Sears said she left a voicemail for Spanberger to wish her success.

    “I asked her to support policies that will unite us, that will not divide us, that will strengthen our families and keep us safe, and that if I can ever be of help doing that, I’m here,” Earle-Sears said at her campaign headquarters in Stafford County.

    Surveys showed Spanberger carried a commanding lead over Earle-Sears in the weeks leading up to Election Day.

    Spanberger had also far outraised her Republican opponent, bringing in more than $65 million compared to Earle-Sears’ $35 million, according to recent campaign finance reports shared by the Virginia Public Access Project.

    Though the election guaranteed to name the state’s first woman as governor, neither candidate made the race’s historic nature a focal point of their campaigns, instead focusing on topics such as the economy.

    Spanberger, a former CIA case officer and member of Congress, had said the election is about the struggles of everyday voters, including those impacted by cuts to the federal workforce or tariffs. She took a more moderate approach and avoided talking about Trump.

    Earle-Sears drew attention to transgender students in public schools and reducing the cost of living. Before taking office as lieutenant governor, Earle-Sears served in the U.S. Marine Corps and in the Virginia House of Delegates during the early 2000s.

    Attorney general race stirs up old texts

    Jones thanked Miyares for his service as attorney general and praised his supporters.

    “To the folks who stood by us every single step of the way, labor. We love you,” Jones said during a speech in Richmond. “The weight of that trust is not lost on me at all, nor is the history that led us to this moment right here. My ancestors were slaves. My grandfather was a civil rights pioneer who braved Jim Crow. My father, my mother, my uncles, my aunts endured segregation all so that I could stand here before you today.”

    In the final weeks before Election Day, the attorney general race spotlighted old text messages sent by Jones that showed he fantasized about political violence toward a former colleague.

    Jones has apologized for those texts, but they sparked pushback from the GOP nationwide, and Republicans called for the Democratic nominee to drop out of the race.

    During the candidates’ debate, Jones attempted to refocus the race on Trump and said Miyares couldn’t push back on overreach from the White House.

    Miyares had argued that Jones is unqualified and pressed him on the text messages.

    But during a speech Tuesday night, he wished Jones the best and reflected on his time as attorney general.

    “The attorney general’s office we inherited was weak and a soft office focused more on politics, but we made it focused on where the victims should always come first, where crime fighting was our number one priority, and public safety was the objective,” Miyares said of his time in office.

    Lieutenant governor’s race makes history

    Hashmi will take over the lieutenant governor position from Earle-Sears, who opted against running for reelection and instead campaigned for governor.

    Hashmi is the first Indian American to win statewide office in Virginia. She will also be the country’s first Muslim woman in statewide office.

    “I know that many of us feel as though the nation is in the midst of challenges that are much deeper and more intense than those we have faced before, and that it will take us generations to repair,” Hashmi told a crowd in Richmond. “But let us not forget that the challenges we endure today are not entirely new, and they can be navigated.”

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    Voters cast ballots in high-stakes election in Virginia

    Before being elected to the Virginia General Assembly, Hashmi was an academic administrator. She has pushed for issues such as reproductive health care, gun violence protection and the economy.

    Polls had leaned in favor of Hashmi, with a slight lead of around two points over Reid in recent weeks. Both candidates are based out of the Richmond area.

    Reid has also spotlighted the economy in his campaign, along with law enforcement, parental rights and immigration enforcement.

    Early in his career, Reid worked as an intern for President Ronald Reagan. He has served as chief communications officer for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, a veterans organization, according to his website.

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    © 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Jessica Kronzer

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  • Abortion, the economy, education: Where Virginia lieutenant governor candidates stand on the issues – WTOP News

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    The race for lieutenant governor between Democrat Ghazala Hashmi and Republican John Reid is shaping up to be the closest of Virginia’s statewide contests.

    The race for lieutenant governor between Democrat Ghazala Hashmi and Republican John Reid is shaping up to be the closest of Virginia’s statewide contests.

    Hashmi, a state senator, holds a narrow one-point lead over Reid, a conservative radio host, according to an October poll from the VCU Wilder School. With a margin of error of plus-or-minus 3.95%, the race is essentially statistically tied heading into November.

    No matter who wins, the victory would mark a historic first for Richmond. Hashmi would become both the first Muslim and the first South Asian American to win statewide office. Reid would become the first openly gay lieutenant governor in Virginia history.

    Both candidates spoke with WTOP about where they stand on the issues and outlined their visions for the Commonwealth.

    Education

    Hashmi, who spent 30 years working as a professor at colleges around Virginia, touted billions in increased spending toward schools during her time in the Senate.

    “Some of that has gone to support our teachers, to improve infrastructure, to lift the support cap that has harmed so many of our school districts and also to focus on our vulnerable student populations,” Hashmi said.

    Hashmi said she supports the hiring of more support staff at schools and wants to see smaller class sizes across the state.

    “We know that smaller class sizes improve student learning outcomes. We know that having more adults who are able to provide support and resources to our young people improves outcomes,” she said.

    Hashmi also said she supports higher education being made more affordable for students. She emphasized career and technical education and community college programs as key pathways to affordability.

    Reid said he agrees that college tuition is too high for students and costs show universities that receive state funding need reforms when it comes to how they spend money.

    “They’re going to have to stop paying exorbitant fees to college professors and those who are on the staff,” Reid said.

    Reid said his plans for public schools would help “bring things under control” when it comes to spending and he wants to see an emphasis on discipline in the classroom.

    “We’re going to bring discipline into the classroom. I think that’ll help the teachers, the principals, the kids and the parents,” Reid said.

    He’s a proponent of school uniforms as well, saying school should not be a “fashion show.” He said those measures are part of what he calls his “Real Virginia Agenda,” a platform that outlines his education and economic policy goals.

    Jobs and economy

    When it comes to the economy, Hashmi said she wants to align education with workforce needs through the use of apprenticeships.

    “We can make those alignments so that we attract employers that provide high-paying jobs, and that we have a skilled workforce that’s ready to meet those jobs and opportunities,” Hashmi said.

    She also criticized the federal job cuts seen throughout the state, primarily in the Northern Virginia region, and accused Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration of what she believes is an inadequate response to help laid-off federal workers and contractors.

    Reid said the federal workforce reductions have created a “very difficult situation” in the state and even for his family. His partner lost his position working on the nuclear submarine program at the Navy Yard.

    “We’re living through that,” he said.

    As lieutenant governor, Reid said his time working in public affairs would best position him to become an “ambassador for business for the state.” He said he would work to keep Virginia as a right-to-work state.

    “We’ve got to keep right-to-work, so that workers aren’t forced into a union if they don’t want to be there, and the CEOs will see Virginia as an appealing place to invest millions, if not billions, of dollars,” he said.

    He also raised concerns about proposals to raise the minimum wage in the state, saying those proposals could have unintended consequences.

    “The people at the lowest end of the economic ladder will lose their jobs,” he said. “We know that’s true.”

    Abortion and reproductive rights

    As a constitutional amendment on abortion makes its way through the legislative process in Virginia, it will come up for consideration again in January, and the lieutenant governor would be the one to break a tie in the Senate.

    On the topic, Hashmi said she supports abortion access in the state and expressed her support for the constitutional amendment.

    “I have helped to draft the language for the constitutional amendment that is now working its way through the General Assembly that provides safe and legal access, not just to abortion care, but to the full spectrum of reproductive health care,” she said.

    Reid said he opposes the proposed amendment, expressing concern about late-term abortions and calling the measure “really extreme.” He said the proposal could allow “day-of-birth abortions,” a characterization that Democrats reject.

    “I’m pro-life. I’m in the minority. I know that most people don’t agree with me. That is OK. I’m going to still argue what I believe, even when people don’t agree with me,” Reid said.

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    © 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

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    Mike Murillo

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