Virginia will have its first female governor in a tight and extensive election
In Virginia, the polling stations opened at 6:00 in the morning (12:00 Spanish peninsular time), and will remain active until 7:00 p.m. (01:00 on Wednesday) to decide who will be the next governor in a race that pits Democrat Abigail Spanberger against Republican Winsome Earle-Sears to replace Glenn Youngkin, of the conservative party. It will be the first time in its history that this State, traditionally Republican but which in the last two decades has leaned more and more on the Democratic side, names a woman governor.
The electoral event has unleashed enormous interest. In the 45 days of early voting, 1.4 million ballots have been cast, compared to less than 1.2 million that were issued in the same 2021 elections in a State with 6.3 million registered voters. He has also moved large amounts of money for what is customary in a gubernatorial election. Spanberger, the clear favorite – polls gave her up to 12 percentage points ahead of her rival – has raised $65.6 million, according to her campaign data. Earle-Jones, who has not received explicit support from President Donald Trump, has achieved just over half, $35.5 million.
The interest in this vote, interpreted as a referendum on Trump’s management in his first ten months in office, is also measured in the number and influence of the personalities who have come to support the candidates on the eve of the appointment. Spanberger was accompanied this weekend at one of his closing rallies by former President Barack Obama; Trump was participating in a teleconference rally in support of the Republican candidates on Monday night.
In addition to the governorship, the position of lieutenant governor is also at stake, for which Democrat Ghazala Hashmi and Republican John Reid are competing, and that of attorney general, which pits the current occupant of the position, Republican Jason Miyares, against Democratic candidate Jay Jones. They are separate candidacies: unlike other States, Virginia does not vote for joint lists. Likewise, the hundred seats in the state congress will be decided, where Democrats have had a small majority (51-48 currently, after a decline among Republicans) for the last four years.
Polls indicate Hashmi is ahead by a very short distance over Reid. Miyares is considered the Republican with the best chance of winning this race, after his opponent was involved in a scandal surrounding a series of text messages in which he declared himself in favor of shooting a Republican representative and his family.
