Virginians will head to the polls on Nov. 4 to elect the state’s next governor, lieutenant governor and attorney general, along with deciding which party will control the House of Delegates.
Although 2025 is an off-year for most federal and statewide elections, it is shaping up to be a pivotal one in Virginia. Republicans currently hold the governor’s office and the lieutenant governor and attorney general positions, while Democrats maintain a slim 51-49 majority in the House of Delegates, making Virginia the only Southern state without a Republican-controlled legislature.
The gubernatorial race has drawn the most attention — and the most spending — so far. Democrat Abigail Spanberger, who represents Virginia’s 7th Congressional District, and Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears are the party nominees following Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s term limit. With both major-party candidates being women, Virginia is poised to elect its first female governor.
Democrats are aiming to reclaim the governorship in a state that Vice President Kamala Harris carried by six points in 2020. In the most recent Virginia Commonwealth University poll, Spanberger leads by about 12%, with just under half of voters indicating they would support her. Both candidates have raised significant funds: as of Aug. 7, Spanberger’s campaign reported more than $27 million raised, while Earle-Sears’ campaign reported about $12 million.
Earle-Sears, a former U.S. Marine and small business owner, was born in Jamaica and moved to New York at the age of six. In addition to serving as lieutenant governor, she held various state political positions and ran two unsuccessful campaigns for Congress. Her platform emphasizes affordability through tax cuts and reduced welfare programs, while supporting Youngkin’s agenda and focusing on crime, immigration, education and “parents’ rights.”
Spanberger, a Henrico County native and former CIA officer, has represented Virginia’s 7th District since 2018. Her campaign focuses on affordable housing, childcare and energy, while also supporting abortion rights, education, economic growth and environmental protection. She emphasizes bipartisanship and has criticized cuts to Medicaid and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits that could affect hundreds of thousands of Virginians.
Senior Amelia Vaughn volunteered for the campaigns of Spanberger and Elizabeth Guzman, the Democratic nominee for Virginia’s 22nd House of Delegates district. Guzman is running to replace a Republican incumbent in one of Northern Virginia’s more competitive districts. Vaughn helped phonebank and canvas voters, saying campaign volunteering is “a powerful way to make a real difference.”
All seats in the House of Delegates, the state legislature’s lower chamber, are up for reelection. Democrats hope to maintain or expand their slim majority, while Republicans need to flip just two seats to take control. The Virginia State Senate, which also has a one-seat Democratic majority, will not be up for reelection until 2028.
Analysts and politicians are watching closely to gauge voter sentiment after the first year of the Trump administration, offering a potential preview of the 2026 midterm elections.
