Abigail Spanberger, a former Democratic congresswoman and CIA officer, will be elected Virginia’s next governor and become the state’s first female chief executive, CNN’s Decision Desk projects.
She beat Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears after running a campaign focused on affordability and addressing local concerns about the impact of federal job cuts and the government shutdown on a state with more than 300,000 US government employees.
Spanberger also frequently tied Earle-Sears to President Donald Trump, labeling the Republican as a Trump acolyte even though the president didn’t endorse her.
Her victory will flip control from Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin and gives national Democrats a boost as they try to respond to the second Trump administration.
It’s also a boost for centrists in the Democratic Party who have fought to establish themselves as a key part of the Democratic coalition due to their ability to win in swing districts and purple states.
Along with Mikie Sherrill, who CNN projected won the race for New Jersey governor on Tuesday, Spanberger represents what many Democratic leaders believe is a model for reversing Trump’s gains by running more moderate candidates with backgrounds in national security and public service.
Spanberger’s victory came as Democrats swept all three statewide positions up in this year’s election.
CNN projected Ghazala Hashmi as the winner of Virginia lieutenant governor’s race, putting her on a path to become the nation’s first Muslim woman elected to statewide office. And in the attorney general’s race, Jay Jones overcame the disclosure of text messages in which he suggested a former legislative colleague should be shot, and CNN projected he will unseat incumbent Jason Miyares.
Spanberger, 46, is a mother of three who served in law enforcement and the CIA before entering politics. She was first elected to Virginia’s 7th Congressional District after beating former Rep. Dave Brat, who shocked onetime House Majority Leader Eric Cantor in a Republican primary, and served three terms before leaving the House this year.