Spanberger: election validates Virginia Democrats' policies
Gov. Abigail Spanberger takes photos with rally attendees at Babe's of Carytown on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026.
RICHMOND — Tuesday’s vote in Virginia was a big thumbs-up on the direction Democrats have taken the state, Gov. Abigail Spanberger says.
“In localities all across Virginia, we saw voter tendencies, voter engagement, a shift towards Democrats in some localities; Harrisonburg, for example, shifted 22 points towards the Democrat Beth Macy,” Spanberger said.
“Ultimately, I think that what we saw, which was extraordinary turnout, extraordinary voter engagement, extraordinary success, speaks to the fact that you know, despite some headlines and some arguments along the way that Virginians are quite pleased with the direction that we are taking Virginia,” she told reporters at a Wednesday press conference.
Her 2025 campaign promises to take Virginia in that direction gave her a 15-percentage-point victory in the gubernatorial election and Democratic wins in 13 House of Delegates districts that had been held by Republicans, Spanberger added.
That direction, seen in the 2026 General Assembly and her first year in office, has been focused on lowering costs in housing, healthcare, and energy, as well as public safety and boosting state support of public schools, she said.
The goal, she added, is “making sure that in everything we do, we are standing up for people, particularly in light of the chaos coming out of Washington, this White House, and the soon-to-be-gone Republican-led Congress.”
Voters in other states want the same thing, she said.
“Frankly, I'm not surprised by the successes that we had across the country, because so much of what people were hearing in other states is what we were hearing a year ago in Virginia,” Spanberger said.
Looking beyond the state’s borders, she added, “We saw extraordinary results in yesterday's election. These results clearly, clearly show that Virginians and Americans across the country want something different than what they have seen in Congress, what they have seen certainly in this White House.”
But Democrats’ Virginia victories last year and this year aren’t making Spanberger think about a presidential run herself, she told reporters at a Wednesday press conference.
“I do look forward to welcoming everyone who might consider running for president to Virginia, as we are now one of the early states … We are a state that paves the way,” she said.
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