Two ex-Republican legislators display approval for Abigail Spanberger's campaign to become Virginia's governor
In the upcoming governor's election in Virginia, a number of notable political figures are making their presence felt. Democrat Abigail Spanberger, a former U.S. House representative, is vying for the position, while Winsome Earle-Sears, the Republican candidate, is attempting to become the first GOP candidate since 1997 to succeed a fellow Republican as governor of Virginia.
Early in-person voting for the election starts on Friday. Spanberger's campaign is highlighting endorsements from former Reps. Barbara Comstock and Denver Riggleman, both of whom have been vocal supporters of her 2022 reelection run for the U.S. House and the current governor's campaign in 2025. Riggleman, who served one term in the U.S. House before being defeated by a Republican challenger in 2020, now serves as a senior technical adviser for the House Jan. 6 select committee following the 2021 Capitol riot.
Comstock, on the other hand, lost her battleground congressional seat to a Democrat in the 2018 midterms during Trump's first term. Both Comstock and Riggleman have been critical of Mr. Trump since leaving office, and they backed Democrat Kamala Harris in the 2021 presidential race.
The political landscape in Virginia has been shifting in recent years. While then-Vice President Harris carried the state in the 2020 contest, she earned fewer votes than Joe Biden did during the same election. This suggests that while Virginia has become a more reliably blue state, Democrats' vote share in the state dropped during the 2024 presidential election.
The governor's race this November will be one of the first statewide races during Mr. Trump's second term in the White House. The statewide off-year contest in Virginia is often viewed as a referendum on the current incumbent president.
Winsome Earle-Sears, the Republican candidate, has been dealing with national political tensions from Mr. Trump's second term as president. She made a statement on social media calling Spanberger's agenda extremist.
Notably, Glenn Youngkin, the current GOP Virginia governor, is not running for a consecutive term this year due to state law. The election is expected to be a closely-watched contest, with both candidates garnering significant support and criticism.
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