# 2025 Virginia elections
The 2025 Virginia elections were a series of state and local contests held in the Commonwealth of Virginia during 2025, culminating in the November 4 general election in which Democrats won all three statewide offices and expanded their majority in the House of Delegates. Democrat [Abigail Spanberger](https://www.edgepedia.org/abigail-spanberger) defeated Republican Winsome Earle-Sears for governor, becoming the first woman elected governor in Virginia's history.[1](https://apnews.com/article/e965bd7b3081016e2e43bf107b236b82) • [2](https://www.ballotwire.com/2025virginiagubernatorialelectionresults)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Election date | November 4, 2025 general election; primaries held June 17, 2025[3](https://www.elections.virginia.gov/candidatepac-info/candidate-bulletins/archive/) |
| Governor result | Abigail Spanberger (D) 1,976,857 votes (57.58%); Winsome Earle-Sears (R) 1,449,586 (42.22%); write-ins 6,897 (0.20%)[4](https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?f=3&fips=51&off=5&year=2025) |
| Turnout | 3,450,202 votes, 54.31% of 6,353,079 registered voters; 322,138 absentee ballots[5](https://electionsvirginiagov-naqvpahwmtlqwonk.terminalfour.net/resultsreports/registrationturnout-statistics/) |
| Historic firsts | Spanberger became Virginia's first female governor; the lieutenant governor race offered either the first openly gay Republican statewide officeholder (John Reid) or the first Muslim woman elected to statewide office in the United States (Ghazala Hashmi)[1](https://apnews.com/article/e965bd7b3081016e2e43bf107b236b82) • [6](https://time.com/7330650/elections-virginia-lgbt-muslim/) |
| Down ballot | Democrats swept lieutenant governor and attorney general and expanded their House of Delegates majority from 51 to 64 seats, flipping 13[7](https://www.marubeni.com/en/research/report/data/MWR_2025_25_2025_ElectionAnalysis_EN_20251114.pdf) |
| Top issue | Cost of living, cited by 29% of respondents in a July 2025 VCU Wilder School poll, ahead of women's reproductive rights (14%) and immigration (14%)[8](https://news.vcu.edu/article/2025/07/in-virginia-governors-race-democratic-candidate-spanberger-leads-gops-earle-sears-49-to-37) |
## Offices on the ballot
The November 4, 2025 general election included the three statewide offices of governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general, all four-year terms, together with all 100 districts of the [Virginia House of Delegates](https://www.edgepedia.org/virginia-house-of-delegates), which serve two-year terms.[3](https://www.elections.virginia.gov/candidatepac-info/candidate-bulletins/archive/) • [9](https://townhall.virginia.gov/L/GetFile.cfm?File=Meeting%5C151%5C42552%5CAgenda_ELECT_42552_v3.pdf) Local offices, including constitutional officers, city and town councils, and school boards in various localities, also appeared on the ballot.[3](https://www.elections.virginia.gov/candidatepac-info/candidate-bulletins/archive/)
The year also included several special elections. On January 7, 2025, voters filled vacancies in Senate of Virginia districts 10 and 32 and House of Delegates district 26; an April 8 special election covered the Marion Town Council in Smyth County; and a September 9 special election filled the U.S. House of Representatives seat in the 11th Congressional District, which the State Board of Elections certified on September 17, 2025.[3](https://www.elections.virginia.gov/candidatepac-info/candidate-bulletins/archive/) • [10](https://www.elections.virginia.gov/media/about/SBE_Annual_Report_2025.pdf)
## Gubernatorial race
**Candidates.** The Democratic nominee was Abigail Spanberger, a former CIA case officer who flipped a Northern Virginia U.S. House seat in 2018 and retired from Congress in 2024 to run for governor.[1](https://apnews.com/article/e965bd7b3081016e2e43bf107b236b82) The Republican nominee was Winsome Earle-Sears, the sitting lieutenant governor, who would have been the first Black woman elected governor of any state had she won.[6](https://time.com/7330650/elections-virginia-lgbt-muslim/) Because Virginia's constitution bars governors from serving consecutive terms, Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin could not seek reelection.[1](https://apnews.com/article/e965bd7b3081016e2e43bf107b236b82)
**Campaign themes.** Polling through the year consistently showed cost of living as the leading concern. In the VCU Wilder School poll published in July 2025, 29% of respondents named the rising cost of living as the issue most influencing their vote, followed by women's reproductive rights and immigration at 14% each.[8](https://news.vcu.edu/article/2025/07/in-virginia-governors-race-democratic-candidate-spanberger-leads-gops-earle-sears-49-to-37) A Washington Post-Schar School poll in October found Spanberger leading by double digits, with strong support among independents and voters worried about the job market; 55% of registered voters disapproved of President Trump's job performance in that poll.[11](https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/10/03/virginia-election-poll-spanberger-earle-sears/) Earle-Sears ran a campaign heavy on cultural issues, particularly transgender policy in schools, spending about $1 million on ads on the subject in the Roanoke media market against roughly $409,000 from Spanberger, according to the media tracking firm AdImpact.[12](https://apnews.com/article/33b3ae268b5a6b9346196b839c5927ee) Late in the race, the Democratic attorney general nominee [Jay Jones](https://www.edgepedia.org/jay-jones) faced reports of 2022 text messages to a Republican lawmaker that used violent language about political figures.[11](https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/10/03/virginia-election-poll-spanberger-earle-sears/) • [13](https://time.com/7330303/election-day-nyc-new-jersey-what-to-expect/)
**National context.** The race was widely watched as a referendum on President Trump's second term and a snapshot of the political mood ahead of the 2026 midterms.[14](https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/results/2025/11/04/virginia-governor-results/) Trump's political operation spent millions on a turnout effort in the final days, though he held no in-person campaign events for Earle-Sears.[15](https://www.axios.com/2025/11/01/trump-nj-virginia-governor-race-2025) • [16](https://time.com/7330742/trump-election-day-polling/) The Associated Press declared Spanberger the winner at 7:58 p.m. EST on election night.[1](https://apnews.com/article/e965bd7b3081016e2e43bf107b236b82)
## Results
Spanberger received 1,976,857 votes (57.58%) to Earle-Sears's 1,449,586 (42.22%), with 6,897 write-in votes (0.20%) out of 3,433,340 total votes for governor.[4](https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?f=3&fips=51&off=5&year=2025) The 15.4-point margin was far wider than most pre-election polling predicted, and the Democratic wave extended down the ballot: the party swept the lieutenant governor and attorney general races and expanded its House of Delegates majority from 51 to 64 seats, flipping 13 districts and delivering a full Democratic trifecta.[7](https://www.marubeni.com/en/research/report/data/MWR_2025_25_2025_ElectionAnalysis_EN_20251114.pdf) Every county in Virginia swung to the left relative to 2024.[7](https://www.marubeni.com/en/research/report/data/MWR_2025_25_2025_ElectionAnalysis_EN_20251114.pdf)
**Turnout.** Certified state figures show 3,450,202 votes cast, 54.31% of the 6,353,079 registered voters, with 322,138 absentee ballots included in the total. Registration fell 1.27% from the 2024 presidential year.[5](https://electionsvirginiagov-naqvpahwmtlqwonk.terminalfour.net/resultsreports/registrationturnout-statistics/) As ballots were still being counted on the Friday after the election, the Associated Press reported Virginia's turnout rate just shy of 2021 levels, when 54.9% of registered voters voted in the previous gubernatorial election.[17](https://apnews.com/article/e440e2b57f751acb5e173ab35aab1bc6) • [5](https://electionsvirginiagov-naqvpahwmtlqwonk.terminalfour.net/resultsreports/registrationturnout-statistics/)
## Historical patterns and analysis
Virginia elects its governor in the year after a presidential election, and the state has a long record of choosing a governor from the party out of the White House. Starting in 1976, every time a party won back control of the presidency, Virginia voters chose a governor from the opposing party the following year; Spanberger continued that pattern against Trump-aligned Republican Earle-Sears.[17](https://apnews.com/article/e440e2b57f751acb5e173ab35aab1bc6) • [1](https://apnews.com/article/e965bd7b3081016e2e43bf107b236b82) The margin itself was notable: the average margin of victory in the previous 12 Virginia gubernatorial elections was 8.6 percentage points, well below Spanberger's 15.4.[17](https://apnews.com/article/e440e2b57f751acb5e173ab35aab1bc6) • [4](https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?f=3&fips=51&off=5&year=2025)
Affordability dominated the campaign's closing message. An analysis by the polling firm Blue Rose Research found that the best-testing ads in Virginia and New Jersey focused on tying rising costs to Trump and Congressional Republicans.[18](https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/11/democrats-cost-of-living-affordability-platform/684847/) Young voters contributed substantially to the shift: pollster John Della Volpe reported that 18-to-29-year-olds delivered a 35-point margin for Spanberger, the largest for a Democratic candidate in that age group since 2017.[18](https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/11/democrats-cost-of-living-affordability-platform/684847/) The result reversed the 2021 election, when [Glenn Youngkin](https://www.edgepedia.org/glenn-youngkin)'s campaign had put Republicans in control of the governorship.[7](https://www.marubeni.com/en/research/report/data/MWR_2025_25_2025_ElectionAnalysis_EN_20251114.pdf)
## Voting procedures
All registered Virginia voters may vote early, either in person or by mail. Early in-person voting begins 45 days before Election Day at local registrar offices and early voting locations, and mail ballot applications were due by 5 p.m. in the weeks before the election.[19](https://www.elections.virginia.gov/casting-a-ballot/early-absentee/) • [20](https://www.elections.virginia.gov/media/formswarehouse/2025-voter-outreach/voter-pocket-guide/VPG_COL_en.pdf) Voters must present acceptable identification; those who cannot may sign an ID Confirmation Statement or cast a provisional ballot, with until the Friday at noon after the election to provide documentation.[19](https://www.elections.virginia.gov/casting-a-ballot/early-absentee/) When multiple party primaries are held on the same day, Virginia law allows a voter to participate in only one of them.[21](https://www.elections.virginia.gov/casting-a-ballot/index.html)
## References
1. [AP Race Call: Democrat Abigail Spanberger elected Virginia governor, Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/e965bd7b3081016e2e43bf107b236b82)
2. [2025 Virginia Gubernatorial Election Results, BallotWire](https://www.ballotwire.com/2025virginiagubernatorialelectionresults)
3. [Candidate Bulletin Archive, Virginia Department of Elections](https://www.elections.virginia.gov/candidatepac-info/candidate-bulletins/archive/)
4. [2025 Gubernatorial General Election Results - Virginia, Dave Leip's U.S. Election Atlas](https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?f=3&fips=51&off=5&year=2025)
5. [Registration/Turnout Reports, Virginia Department of Elections](https://electionsvirginiagov-naqvpahwmtlqwonk.terminalfour.net/resultsreports/registrationturnout-statistics/)
6. [No Matter the Winner, Virginia Lt. Governor Race Set to Make History, Time](https://time.com/7330650/elections-virginia-lgbt-muslim/)
7. [2025 Election Analysis, Marubeni Research Report](https://www.marubeni.com/en/research/report/data/MWR_2025_25_2025_ElectionAnalysis_EN_20251114.pdf)
8. [In Virginia governor's race, Spanberger leads Earle-Sears 49% to 37%, VCU News](https://news.vcu.edu/article/2025/07/in-virginia-governors-race-democratic-candidate-spanberger-leads-gops-earle-sears-49-to-37)
9. [State Board of Elections meeting agenda, townhall.virginia.gov](https://townhall.virginia.gov/L/GetFile.cfm?File=Meeting%5C151%5C42552%5CAgenda_ELECT_42552_v3.pdf)
10. [Certification of Elections, State Board of Elections Annual Report 2025](https://www.elections.virginia.gov/media/about/SBE_Annual_Report_2025.pdf)
11. [Spanberger leads Earle-Sears in Virginia governor's race, poll finds, The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/10/03/virginia-election-poll-spanberger-earle-sears/)
12. [Virginia gubernatorial candidates debate trans youth rights, Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/33b3ae268b5a6b9346196b839c5927ee)
13. [What to Watch For in NYC and Other Battlegrounds as Election Results Come In, Time](https://time.com/7330303/election-day-nyc-new-jersey-what-to-expect/)
14. [Virginia governor election results 2025 live updates, The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/results/2025/11/04/virginia-governor-results/)
15. [Scoop: Trump pours millions into Virginia, New Jersey races, Axios](https://www.axios.com/2025/11/01/trump-nj-virginia-governor-race-2025)
16. [In an Election Cycle With Few Battlegrounds, Trump Didn't Hold Rallies in Any of Them, Time](https://time.com/7330742/trump-election-day-polling/)
17. [Takeaways from the 2025 general election, in charts, Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/e440e2b57f751acb5e173ab35aab1bc6)
18. [The Affordability Curse, The Atlantic](https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/11/democrats-cost-of-living-affordability-platform/684847/)
19. [Absentee and Early Voting, Virginia Department of Elections](https://www.elections.virginia.gov/casting-a-ballot/early-absentee/)
20. [November 2025 Voter Pocket Guide, Virginia Department of Elections](https://www.elections.virginia.gov/media/formswarehouse/2025-voter-outreach/voter-pocket-guide/VPG_COL_en.pdf)
21. [Casting a Ballot, Virginia Department of Elections](https://www.elections.virginia.gov/casting-a-ballot/index.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Politics and government › Elections and representation › Elections and referendums › United States election events › US state and local election events › US state election-year omnibus articles › Recent-cycle state election umbrellas (2016–2023)*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license