Democrat Abigail Spanberger on Tuesday revealed the message her daughters received after she was elected the first woman governor in Virginia’s history.
“Just a few minutes ago, Adam said to our daughters, ‘Your mom’s gonna be the governor of Virginia,” Spanberger said during her victory speech. “I can guarantee those words have never been spoken in Virginia ever before.”
In what Democrats hope is a preview of the 2026 midterms, Spanberger, a former member of the U.S. House, easily defeated Republican Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears in the governor’s race. As of 12:35 a.m. Wednesday, with more than 95% of ballots counted, Spanberger was leading Earle-Sears 57.5% to 42.5%, per Decision Desk HQ. The race was a clash of historic candidacies: Spanberger is set to be the first woman governor of Virginia, while Earle-Sears would have become the first Black woman governor in American history if she had won. Democrat Mikie Sherrill on Tuesday night, meanwhile, became the second elected governor in New Jersey history.
No Republican presidential candidate has won Virginia since 2004, but it’s far more competitive on the local level — no party has controlled the governor’s office for more than two consecutive terms this century. Democrats, out of power in the federal government, hope that kind of competitive environment in the purple state is a sign that the party can flip the U.S. House next year.
