Attendees hear as former President Obama joins former congresswoman and present Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger at a rally on Nov. 1 at Chartway Area in Norfolk.
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A number of late-breaking surprises have shaken up what political watchers thought can be a quiet race in Virginia.
The commonwealth’s gubernatorial race — certainly one of simply two held the yr after presidential elections — is usually seen as a temperature verify on how voters really feel about leaders in Washington.
Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic nominee and former congresswoman, has maintained a lead in polls since very early within the race over Republican nominee Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears.
However this yr, whereas voters’ prime issues are vitality costs, housing affordability and jobs, the remainder of the race has change into a referendum on the whole lot from political violence to redistricting.
Right here, public media journalists throughout Virginia take us into every problem.
DOGE and the federal authorities shutdown
Former President Barack Obama joins former Congresswoman and Virginia Democratic candidate for governor Abigail Spanberger at a rally on Nov. 1 at Chartway Area in Norfolk.
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The challenges dealing with Virginia’s 320,000 federal employees and tons of of 1000’s of federal contractors got here lengthy earlier than the Oct. 1 authorities shutdown. Earlier this yr, throughout Elon Musk’s DOGE efforts, 1000’s of Virginians had been laid off.
Democrats within the commonwealth hope that voter anger over the firings and furloughs will carry them to victory on Tuesday evening. On the marketing campaign path, Spanberger talks about sticking up for federal employees within the face of the “chaos from Washington.” At a marketing campaign occasion Thursday, Spanberger put it this manner: “The stakes of this election are critical.”
As furloughs stretch right into a second month, Virginia Republicans have additionally seen a political opening within the shutdown. “My opponent, all summer time lengthy, has been taking part in political soccer with federal employees by attempting to say that she loves them greater than anybody else,” Earle-Sears mentioned on the talk stage, after which criticized Spanberger for encouraging Democrats in Congress to withstand any funding deal that does not embody persevering with well being care subsidies.
However Earle-Sears hasn’t shied away from the Trump administration’s cuts to the federal workforce. She has mentioned she believes claims of “waste, fraud, and abuse” and argues that the impression of layoffs in Virginia will probably be minimal as a result of financial energy she and Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin have stewarded over the earlier 4 years.
Political violence
Former Del. Jay Jones, Democratic nominee for legal professional normal, is photographed on Sept. 12 on the Virginia Museum of Historical past and Tradition in Richmond.
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A scandal within the race for legal professional normal has reverberated up the ticket. Early final month, textual content messages from 2022 present Jay Jones, the Democratic nominee for legal professional normal and a former member of the Virginia legislature, describing hypothetical violence in opposition to a political opponent.
Earle-Sears and different Republican candidates have tried to tie the textual content messages to the assassination of Charlie Kirk, portray Democrats as politically violent.
Spanberger condemned the messages and political violence typically, however did not withdraw or double down on her endorsement of Jones. “It’s as much as voters to make a person alternative based mostly on this info,” she mentioned within the gubernatorial debate.
Jones’ Republican opponent, Virginia Lawyer Normal Jason Miyares, is interesting to Spanberger voters to separate their tickets.
Redistricting
Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, Republican candidate for governor, chats with the clerks and minority and majority management as they try and override her ruling throughout a particular session of the Virginia Normal Meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 29, on the Capitol in Richmond.
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Democrats within the Virginia legislature threw one other wrench into the marketing campaign final week by calling a shock sequence of conferences after North Carolina turned one other state to redraw its congressional map to favor the GOP on the behest of President Trump.
On Friday, the Virginia legislature proposed a constitutional modification that might enable redistricting forward of the 2026 midterms. As a result of it must be accredited by legislators once more subsequent yr earlier than voters can finalize the modification subsequent spring, its success will depend on Spanberger profitable her race and Democrats sustaining management of the Home of Delegates.
How a lot the redistricting plan modifications voters’ minds is up for debate. Near 1,000,000 voters forged their ballots earlier than the Democrats introduced their plan, whereas the redistricting session took delegates off the path in the course of the last full week of campaigning.
Earle-Sears, who presides over the state Senate in her function as lieutenant governor, was additionally known as again to Richmond. She nonetheless managed to carry occasions across the state, and a press convention on the steps of the Virginia Capitol, whereas a small crowd held “Winsome For Governor” indicators.
Spanberger has made few public feedback about redistricting, past signalling her normal assist.
Transgender youth
Republican Lt. Gov. candidate John Reid factors to Republican gubernatorial candidate Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears throughout a press convention earlier than a particular session of the Virginia Normal Meeting on Oct. 27 on the Capitol in Richmond.
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Republicans up and down the poll have made Virginia’s transgender youth a significant marketing campaign problem.
The argument over transgender athletes and loos in Virginia faculties actually took off when Republican Glenn Youngkin made it a spotlight of his 2021 marketing campaign for governor. Arguably, it helped him change into the primary GOP governor elected in additional than a decade.
However, regardless of Republicans spending thousands and thousands on adverts round transgender college students in 2025, latest polling reveals it is a prime concern for 3 p.c of voters. The economic system and countering Trump’s insurance policies are on the forefront of most voters’ minds.
Spanberger has mentioned she possible leads on the topic as a result of Republicans have been “villainizing children.”
“Notably efforts to closely politicize a gaggle of children who want a little bit of grace, and the adults round them to point out thoughtfulness,” the previous congresswoman mentioned.
“I am not taking a stand as a result of it is the straightforward factor to do. After all, it isn’t straightforward. I am being abused for it,” Earle-Sears mentioned, evaluating her assist for cisgender college students to the civil rights motion.
