RICHMOND, Va. — Abigail Spanberger won Virginia’s governor’s race Tuesday, flipping the Executive Mansion to Democratic control and becoming the first woman to lead the commonwealth.
Unofficial statewide returns show Spanberger with 56.47% of the vote (1,103,124) to Republican Winsome Earle-Sears’ 43.33% (846,523), with write-ins at 0.20% (3,993), according to the Virginia Department of Elections. The totals will continue to update and remain unofficial until certification.
A former CIA officer and three-term congresswoman first elected in 2018, Spanberger campaigned on pocketbook issues and a promise of pragmatic governance. Her victory returns the governorship to Democrats after a single Republican term and gives the party a high-profile statewide win heading into next year’s contests.
Earle-Sears, the sitting lieutenant governor, centered her bid on public safety, education and tax policy but could not overcome Spanberger’s margins in vote-rich suburbs and urban centers.
Certification is expected in the coming days, followed by transition planning ahead of the January inauguration. The Department of Elections will publish final, certified results after canvasses are completed across the state, the Virginia Department of Elections said.
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