AP Race Call: Democrat Abigail Spanberger elected Virginia governor

WASHINGTON — Democrat Abigail Spanberger won the governor’s race in Virginia on Tuesday, defeating Republican Winsome Earle-Sears.

Spanberger will succeed Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who is not allowed to run for a second consecutive term. Her victory aligns with recent voting patterns in Virginia, which picks its governors the year after a presidential election and tends to elect someone of the opposite party of the president.

Spanberger, a former case officer with the CIA, flipped a U.S. House seat in Northern Virginia in 2018 and retired from Congress in 2024 to run for governor. She will be the state’s first female governor.

The Associated Press declared Spanberger the winner at 7:58 p.m. EST.