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The Fox News Decision Desk has projected that Democrat Abigail Spanberger will become the next governor of Virginia.
Republicans had hoped to replicate the 2021 upset engineered by outgoing Gov. Glenn Youngkin, but now face at least two years without control in Richmond, with both legislative chambers remaining in Democratic hands.
After scandal-plagued down-ballot candidate Jay Jones — running for attorney general — Spanberger carefully responded to repeated pressure to call for her fellow Democrat to drop out after he envisioned the murder of former House Speaker Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah.
Opponent Winsome Earle-Sears, the outgoing lieutenant governor, urged Spanberger to comment on the Jones scandal and clarify her stance on transgender students’ participation in school sports and use of bathrooms aligning with their gender identity.
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Spanberger did not directly respond to Earle-Sears’ overtures, declining to make eye contact with her at those times.
In her campaign ads, Spanberger highlighted her resume as a former federal agent investigating crimes against children and later counter-terrorism with the CIA.
She also served as a U.S. Postal Inspector investigating drug trafficking and money laundering before joining Langley.
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Spanberger also made health care and abortion an issue in her campaign, painting Earle-Sears as radical on the latter – as the Republican previously called for limited exceptions for ending a pregnancy.
She has described herself as a more moderate candidate than Republicans claim, while the GOP highlighted her near-100% voting record in line with then-President Joe Biden while she was in the House as a reason to doubt any claims of pragmatism.
Late in the campaign, Spanberger drew in several Democratic heavy-hitters, including former President Barack Obama and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro – who is seen as a potential 2028 name.
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Biden, however, was noticeably absent from the trail, and a prior inquiry on that detail with the Delaware Democrat’s team went unanswered.
Spanberger also harnessed Beltway-area furor over the government shutdown to speak of the “hardships” facing those particular Virginia families.
Republicans, however, require a handful of Democratic votes in order to reopen the government.
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“We need a governor who will stand up and make clear that attacks on our federal workers [and] attacks on government contractors,” she said at an event in Hampton Roads, Virginia last week.
Spanberger and her party are expected to have full control of Virginia governance for at least the next two years, at which point the state Senate – which had no races this year – and House of Delegates face the voters again.
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