Richmond, VA — As Virginians cast ballots in one of the nation’s most closely watched off-year elections, the name Donald Trump—though not on the ballot—is deeply shaping the race for governor, attorney general, and other statewide offices.
The upcoming November general election will be historic, as it will see Virginia elect its first female governor. The race pits Democrat Abigail Spanberger, a former CIA officer and U.S. Representative, against Republican Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, the first woman of color to hold statewide office in Virginia.
A Race Framed by Trump-Era Politics
While both Spanberger and Earle-Sears ran unopposed in their respective primaries, the general election is expected to be fiercely competitive and heavily influenced by President Trump’s second-term policies, especially in a state with deep federal ties. Spanberger has aligned herself as a moderate Democrat, building her campaign around protecting federal workers and institutions in the face of Trump-led cuts.
“As governor, I will stand up not just for individuals who serve our country, but for our whole economy,” Spanberger told voters in March, highlighting the more than 140,000 federal employees based in Virginia.
On the other side, Earle-Sears has solidified her standing with Republicans as a continuation of Governor Glenn Youngkin’s administration, while presenting herself as a more traditional conservative in contrast to former state Sen. Amanda Chase, who failed to qualify for the ballot and branded herself “Trump in heels.”
A Referendum on the Federal Workforce
A central issue in the campaign has been Trump’s aggressive reduction of the federal workforce, a policy reportedly orchestrated in part with Elon Musk. Democrats argue that these cuts disproportionately hurt Virginia, home to key federal agencies like the Department of Veterans Affairs, IRS, and the Library of Congress.
Spanberger and other Democrats are betting that this backlash will drive turnout in their favor, especially among federal employees and voters wary of deep administrative cuts.
Republican Strategy: Embrace Trump, Target Democrats
Republicans, meanwhile, are doubling down on Trump’s popularity among conservative voters. The GOP sees Trump’s policies as energizing the base, and Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares and his team are framing Democratic critiques of Trump as politically motivated attacks.
“The law is a shield, not a sword to use against political enemies,” Miyares’ spokesman said, preempting expected Democratic legal challenges to Trump-era policies.
The Republican State Leadership Committee echoed that sentiment in a Wall Street Journal op-ed, accusing Democrats of using Trump as a distraction from what they called failed policies at the state level.
Attorney General Race: “Standing Up to Trump” Becomes a Campaign Theme
Even in the Democratic attorney general primary, Trump looms large. Leading candidates Jay Jones and Shannon Taylor have both vowed to challenge Trump’s federal overreach if elected.
The winner will face Miyares in what is shaping up to be a high-profile, high-stakes contest.
National Attention and Historic Stakes
With Virginia and New Jersey being the only states holding gubernatorial elections in 2025, political analysts across the country are closely watching for signs of voter sentiment following Trump’s reelection and in the lead-up to the 2026 midterms.
Historically, Virginia tends to vote against the party in power at the White House, though there are exceptions—most notably, Democrat Terry McAuliffe’s win in 2013 during Obama’s second term.
As November approaches, Virginia’s election will not only decide its next governor but also serve as a litmus test for how Americans feel about Trump’s second-term agenda—and whether that influence is energizing or dividing the electorate.
