Copyright Norfolk Virginian-Pilot
Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic candidate for governor, spent her last week of the campaign on an extended bus tour, bookended with stops in Hampton Roads that culminated in a rally in Norfolk alongside former President Barack Obama. Her opponent, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, who has consistently trailed in the polls, was stuck in Richmond. Republican lawmakers and Earle-Sears supporters gathered last week on the steps of the Virginia Capitol. State Sen. Mark Peake, chairman of the state Republican party, took the podium. “We’re here at the invitation of the Democrats in the Senate and the House of Delegates,” he said. “They have us here to get Madame Lieutenant Governor off the campaign trail. And why do they want to get Winsome Earle-Sears off the campaign trail?” “Because she’s winning!” someone yelled. For much of the past week, the lieutenant governor presided over the Senate as Democrats, who control both chambers of the General Assembly, called the legislature into session to push forward a constitutional amendment that would allow for mid-decade redistricting if other states did the same. The resolution passed Friday, marking the first step in a contentious path forward on redistricting. “Lieutenant governor, don’t you worry, I’ll be out on the campaign trail for you for the next four days,” said John Reid, the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor, before introducing Earle-Sears. When Earle-Sears stepped to the podium, she said she was speaking as the lieutenant governor, not as a candidate. But the podium in question bore a carnival-esque sign reading “Spanberger’s Sideshow Session,” a swipe at the former U.S. representative, who Republicans say orchestrated the redistricting maneuver for political gain. “Abigail Spanberger is on record publicly just this summer, promising she would not take up redistricting,” Earle-Sears said. “I similarly said the very same thing, that I would not take up redistricting. I made the same pledge, but lo and behold, here we are, with the party she leads calling a special session to do exactly that.” Earle-Sears said Spanberger had sold out Virginians for $150,000 — the amount the National Democratic Redistricting Committee donated each to Spanberger and the House Democratic Caucus shortly before the special session was called. Unencumbered by the duties of the legislature, Spanberger spent the last days of her campaign on a bus tour around Virginia, culminating with the Saturday rally at Old Dominion University’s Chartway Arena. “On Tuesday, we are going to send a message, a message that Virginia is turning the page,” Spanberger said to cheers from the crowd. “Is Virginia ready for leadership that puts our commonwealth first?” As Obama took the stage, he reflected on recent actions of the Trump administration including federal layoffs, tariffs and the ongoing government shutdown. When the crowd began to boo, he interjected. “Don’t boo. Vote,” he said. “They don’t hear boos. They hear votes.” “The good news is there is something you can do about it. Right here. Right now,” Obama said, turning to Spanberger, seated on stage beside him. “You’ve got a candidate for governor who has a track record of getting stuff done. Somebody who sees you. And has been with you, and knows your struggles and will fight for you every single day.” At an earlier midweek stop in Newport News, Spanberger focused on affordability and on federal actions such as cuts to Medicaid and federal workforce reductions, messaging that’s been consistent throughout the campaign. “Back in 2023, I announced my candidacy for governor, started campaigning, and everywhere I traveled, I was hearing the same versions of a similar challenge,” she said. “Housing prices are going up. Rents are going up. Energy bills are going up. Prescription drug prices are still expensive, and it’s not getting that much better.” When Spanberger stumped in Newport News in June, it was alongside the other Democratic statewide nominees — state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, who is running for lieutenant governor, and former Del. Jay Jones, who is running for attorney general. They were making the case the Democrats were unified, in contrast with the Republican statewide candidates, who at the time were not appearing together. But Hashmi, too, has been in Richmond for the special session. And these days, Spanberger and Jones aren’t seen together in public much at all. In the wake of 2022 texts from Jones that used violent rhetoric becoming public, Spanberger has distanced herself from his campaign. “We are all running our individual races,” Spanberger said at the gubernatorial debate last month. “I believe my opponent has said that about her lieutenant governor nominee.” Jones and Hashmi attended Saturday’s rally, though they spoke long before Spanberger and Obama. Polls throughout the campaign have favored Democrats, putting Spanberger ahead of Earle-Sears, and Hashmi outperforming Reid. But recent numbers in the wake of the text scandal have flipped to show Miyares ahead of Jones. Tuesday is Election Day. At the end of a whirlwind election season, here’s a look at how we got here. ___ November 2023: Spanberger announced her run for governor and said she would not seek reelection in Congress. Former Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney briefly entered the race, but later opted to instead run for lieutenant governor. September 2024: Earle-Sears announced her run for governor at a rally in Virginia Beach. In Virginia, the governor cannot serve consecutive terms, meaning Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin could not run again. The lieutenant governor position has historically been seen as a stepping stone to the governor’s mansion. November 2024: Attorney General Jason Miyares announced he would seek reelection, ending speculation that he would seek seek the Republican nomination for governor. Youngkin endorsed Earle-Sears shortly thereafter. January 2025: U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott briefly floated a gubernatorial campaign as some Democrats speculated how Spanberger would perform among Black voters. Scott did not enter the race. February 2025: Former Republican state legislators Amanda Chase and Dave LaRock announced they would challenge Earle-Sears for the nomination, saying the lieutenant governor had been insufficiently loyal to President Donald Trump. March 2025: The first day to file signatures to qualify for the ballot was March 18. Earle-Sears and Spanberger submitted more than the 10,000 signatures required. Hashmi, Prince William County School Board chair Babur Lateef, attorney Victor Salgado, state Sen. Aaron Rouse, retired labor lawyer Alex Bastani, and Stoney all eventually qualified to appear on the Democratic primary ballot for lieutenant governor. On the Republican side for that position, Fairfax County Supervisor Pat Herrity and Reid qualified for the ballot; John Curran, a James City County business consultant, did not. Miyares, as well as Jones and Democratic Henrico Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor also submitted their signatures for attorney general. April 2025: LaRock and Chase failed to qualify for the ballot, meaning Earle-Sears and Spanberger became their party’s nominees without a primary. Later that month, Herrity dropped out of the lieutenant governor’s race, making Reid the default Republican nominee, and the Republican statewide ticket was set. But opposition research conducted by Republican operatives unearthed a social media account with a username that matched other accounts Reid uses containing reposts of pictures of nude men. May 2025: Youngkin called Reid and asked him to step down. Reid refused and publicly said he was being targeted because he is gay. Reid and a consultant at Youngkin’s PAC threatened lawsuits. Ultimately, the consultant stepped down. Earle-Sears stayed out of the fray and said everybody has their own race to run. The same month, reporting showed Earle-Sears had previously noted her moral opposition to same-sex marriage and reproductive rights in hand-written notes on the in-progress constitutional amendments to enshrine both in the state’s constitution. June 2025: The Democratic primary for lieutenant governor and attorney general was June 17. Hashmi beat out a crowded field for the lieutenant governor nomination, and Jones won a tight race over Taylor. The Democratic statewide candidates immediately began campaigning together and presented a united front. July 2025: The Republican statewide ticket appeared together — briefly — for the first time at a rally in Vienna. Youngkin encouraged supporters to vote for all of the statewide Republicans. A packed October more than made up for a relatively quiet summer. Oct. 1: The federal government shut down. Oct. 2: The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported that in 2022, weeks after stepping down from the legislature, Jones had been pulled over driving 116 mph. Jones completed 1,000 hours of community service in 2023 — half of which were served on behalf of his political action committee. Oct. 3: The National Review first reported that later in 2022, Jones sent texts to a Republican colleague saying that if Adolph Hitler, Pol Pot and the then-Republican Speaker of the House of Delegates Todd Gilbert were in a room, he would shoot Gilbert twice. He also suggested that politicians needed to experience their children dying in order to shift their positions on gun policy. Oct. 6: Trump visited Norfolk for the Navy’s 250th anniversary celebration. He formally endorsed Miyares and called on Jones to drop out — he did not offer the same endorsement to Earle-Sears, who was at the event. Oct. 10: Earle-Sears and Spanberger debated. Earle-Sears used much of her time to hammer home what became a theme for much of the GOP, relying on the texts to question opponents’ judgement of Jones. Oct. 17: Jones and Miyares debated. The texts were a prominent feature, but the candidates also discussed issues such as public safety and consumer protection. Oct. 21: Criticizing Hashmi for not agreeing to a debate, Reid hosted a virtual “debate” where he responded to an AI rendering of Hashmi’s voice reading out policy positions curated by his campaign. Oct. 27: The General Assembly convened in Richmond to begin the process of passing a redistricting constitutional amendment. November: Obama joined Spanberger on stage at a campaign rally in Norfolk on Nov. 1, the same day early voting ended. Kate Seltzer, 757-713-7881, kate.seltzer@virginiamedia.com
