On Tuesday, November 4, 2025, Democratic voters turned out in record numbers and sent a big blue wave across the state of Virginia to elect Abigail Spanberger for Governor, Ghazala Hashmi for Lt. Governor, and Jay Jones for Attorney General. All in all, election day was a rousing success for Democrats and anyone else fed up with federal overreach impacting Virginia.
There are as many takes on what caused the blue wave as you have time to read. Some call it a clear referendum against the Trump administration, while others cite the simpler picture of a weak Republican candidate for governor who wasn’t able to turn out the voters. In turn, that hurt all the Republican candidates on the ticket.
A remarkable shift to the left
Spanberger won the governor’s office by shifting almost every county in Virginia to the left. In Henrico, where Spanberger won 69% of the vote, every single local precinct surfed the blue wave.
The Henrico Citizen reported how each precinct shifted in 2025 for Spanberger and how local candidates May Nivar (D HD57) and Rodney Willett (D HD58) also dominated. Cardinal News published 13 reasons why Spanberger and the Democrats won so big. Trump is just one of them.
Curious how your precinct or county voted in the statewide or local elections? You can find out on VPAP.org.
For our local readers, here’s the link to find out how your precinct voted in the HD57 race between May Nivar(D HD57) and David Owen (R).
These graphics from VPAP and the AP show that Democrats turned out to vote across the state in numbers that shifted the vote blue statewide.
What will Democrats do with their sustained majority in the House of Delegates?
Across the state, Democrats flipped 13 seats in the House of Delegates and will hold a 64-36 seat majority in 2026. That’s the largest Democratic majority since 1989.
Here’s what VA Speaker Don Scott (D HD88) said at his press conference post-election.
“The word of the day now is restraint. We can’t overreach. We have to be restrained. We have to be wise with the gift that the voters have given us to govern. We have to be wise in how we move forward, so it’s gonna be important for us to have a coalition that’s restrained, that’s smart, that’s disciplined and focused on what voters want us to do. They told us what they want. All we have to do is listen. They’re feeling the pain in the pocketbook. We got to stay focused on kitchen table issues, but they also are afraid that our democracy is eroding and being attacked, and they want us to stand up, and that’s what we’re gonna do…”
Constitutional amendments will be sent to Virginia voters
After passing a redistricting amendment in a special session in October, Democrats will work to pass it again in 2026 (amendments must be passed by two consecutive sessions with an election in between before being placed on the ballot). Voters will then be asked to decide if Virginia can react to partisan gerrymandering requested by Trump in states like Texas.
Other amendments up for the second required vote include enshrining access to abortion, marriage equality, and voting rights restoration. The ability to pass these and deliver them to the voters for the final say was a big reason why May Nivar’s HD race was so important.
Alignment with Governor Spanberger’s agenda
Speaker Scott’s statements about focusing on kitchen table issues align well with Governor Spanberger’s speech on election night:
“My fellow Virginians…Virginia chose pragmatism over partisanship. We chose our Commonwealth over chaos…You all chose leadership that will focus relentlessly on what matters most: lowering costs, keeping our communities safe, and strengthening our economy for every Virginian — leadership that will focus on problem solving, not stoking division.”
The 2026 Session of the General Assembly opens on Jan 14, 2026, and Virginia’s 75th Governor, Abigail Spanberger, will be inaugurated on Jan 17.
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