DemDaily: Virginia: The Race is On! Election Results

June 18, 2025

Yesterday's June 17 primary in Virginia officially kicked off the general election between former three-term Democratic Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger and Republican Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, both of whom ran unopposed in their respective nomination races.

Virginia is just one of two gubernatorial races up in 2025, along with New Jersey -- both bellwethers as the first statewide tests of voters since Donald Trump reclaimed the White House.

The general election winner will be sworn in as the 75th governor of Virginia and the Commonwealth's first female head of state.

Once reliably red, the Old Dominion solidified its transition to a battleground blue state over the last decade, voting Democrat in the last four presidential elections.

Democrats experienced a devastating blow; however, when, amid low White House approval ratings, Republicans narrowly swept the state's top three offices in 2021 – putting Trump-endorsed former hedge fund CEO Glenn Youngkin, who defeated former Governor Terry McAuliffe (D) 50.58% to 48.64%, in the governor's mansion.

In the same election, Republicans regained control of the Statehouse, only to have Democrats flip the chamber back to a 51-seat majority in 2024. Virginia's current US Senators are Democrats Mark Warner (elected 2008) and Tim Kaine (elected 2012), and six of its 11 congressional districts are held by Democrats.

Gubernatorial Election
Virginia is the only state to limit its governor to one term or non-consecutive terms in office, so Youngkin, who holds a net approval rating of 20%, is not eligible for reelection.

Spanberger, a former CIA intelligence officer, was elected to represent the expansive Fredericksburg-based 7th Congressional District in 2018, unseating incumbent Congressman Dave Brat (R) and breaking Republicans' 38-year hold on the seat. She won reelection in 2020 and 2022 before resigning from Congress after announcing in November 2023 that she was running for governor.

Earle-Sears, a former Marine, small businesswoman and "unapologetic" conservative, served in the Statehouse from 2002-2004 before running unsuccessfully for Congress in 2004. She served on the Virginia Board of Education and, in 2020, was National Chairwoman of the pro-Trump PAC Black Americans to Re-elect the President.

In 2021, Winsome Sears defeated Democrat Hala Ayala 50.7%-59.2% to become not only the first woman, but the first woman of color to hold the position of Lt. Governor in the state's history. Either candidate would be Virginia's first female governor.

According to the Virginia Public Access Project (VPAP), Spanberger enters the general election with a two-to-one fundraising advantage, having raised nearly $23 million to Earle-Sears' $9.2 million, and a nearly five-to-one cash-on-hand advantage of $14.3 million to Earle-Sears' $3 million.

Lieutenant Governor
In the most competitive contest, State Senator Ghazala Hashmi (greater Richmond) prevailed in the crowded Democratic primary field for Lt. Governor, securing 27.39% to former Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney's 26.64%, followed closely by State Senator Aaron Rouse (Virginia Beach) with 26.34%.

Prince William County School Board Chairman Babur Lateef garnered 8.4%, and attorneys Alexander Bastani 5.69% and Victor Salgado 5.54%.

While Stoney and Rouse led in early voting, which drew a record 40% of the vote for a statewide Democratic primary, Hashmi appeared to have benefited from late momentum. pushing her over the top by less than 1%.

Hashmi was an educator and academic administrator for 25 years before being elected in 2019 -- when she defeated incumbent Republican Glen Sturtevant, flipping the State Senate to Democratic control. If Hashmi wins in November, she would be the Commonwealth’s first South Asian and first Muslim statewide elected official.

Hashmi presents a sharp contrast to Republican nominee John Reid, a boisterous conservative talk-radio host who would be the first openly gay Republican in a statewide elected position nationwide. Reid, who served as Communications Director for former Virginia US Senator George Allen (R), was unchallenged in the primary.

Attorney General
In another close primary contest, former State Delegate Jay Jones (Norfolk) edged out Henrico County Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor, 51%-49%, for the Democratic nomination for Attorney General.

Jones, a former Washington, DC Assistant Attorney General who had the endorsements of former Democratic Governors Ralph Northam and Terry McAuliffe, unsuccessfully challenged incumbent AG Mark Herring for the Democratic nomination in 2021. Herring lost the general election to current Republican State Attorney General Jason Miyares by 0.81%.

Jones now faces Miyares, who was unchallenged in the GOP primary. A former State Delegate from Virginia Beach, Miyares is the first Hispanic elected statewide in Virginia.

House of Delegates
All 100 House seats are on the ballot in November in what will be a hard-fought battle for control of the Statehouse, which Democrats control 51-49 seats.

Democrats are running candidates in all 100 of those races, including some of the reddest districts in the state, while Republicans have fielded candidates in about 70.

An unusually small number of primaries were contested -- just nine for Democrats and eight for Republicans.

Of note: For the first time in more than half a century, neither party has nominated an executive branch candidate from Northern Virginia, the state’s most populous region.

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Sources: CNN, Washington Post, New York Times, Axios, AP, VPAP, NPR, VA SOS, WTOP