Editor’s Note: This page was updated over the course of Nov. 4, 2025 in order to reflect the most recently available information.
Abigail Spanberger will be the next governor of Virginia — the first woman to serve in that role — after she defeated Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears in a resounding victory. Spanberger led in pre-election polls throughout the campaign, but most polls did not have her margin as large as it ended up — 14 points as of 10:45 p.m.
Democrats also won the other two statewide races Tuesday night. State Sen. Ghazala Hashmi won the lieutenant governor’s race, defeating John Reid, and becoming the first Muslim elected to any statewide office in U.S. history. Former Del. Jay Jones also won the attorney general’s race despite his violent text message controversy.
In the House of Delegates, Democrats retained control and flipped 13 seats, expanding their majority in the chamber to a total of 64 seats, according to State Navigate projections. Because Democrats hold a majority in the Senate of Virginia, which was not up for election, Spanberger will take office as governor with a Democratic majority and the ability to pass legislation without Republican votes.
The 2025 elections also saw high turnout by University students. The Cavalier Daily tracked turnout at student polling places throughout the day, and reported that turnout was only slightly tracking behind the 2024 presidential race. Presidential races in Virginia typically have significantly higher turnout than gubernatorial races.
In Charlottesville specifically, with nearly all votes counted, only around 5000 fewer votes were cast in 2025 compared with 2024. Spanberger beat Earle-Sears by 78 percentage points in Charlottesville.
Overall, Spanberger far outperformed former Vice President Kamala Harris across the Commonwealth. An analysis by the New York Times showed that Spanberger outperformed Harris in 89 of Virginia’s 93 counties. The largest shifts were concentrated in some of the most populous counties in Northern Virginia, including Loudoun, Fairfax and Prince William.
Those counties were at the center of the Trump administration’s cuts to the federal workforce and the ongoing government shutdown, an issue Spanberger leaned heavily into during her campaign.
Throughout the day, The Cavalier Daily maintained a live blog with turnout updates from student polling places every two hours and talking to students as they cast their ballots about what mattered most to them. The live blog was also updated throughout the night with live results. — Ford McCracken, News Editor
10:05 p.m. — Jay Jones wins attorney general race despite controversial text messages
Former Del. Jay Jones, the highly controversial Democratic candidate, has won the race for attorney general, the AP projects at 10:05 p.m. He defeats incumbent Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares. With 88 percent of the vote counted, Jones led Miyares with 52 percent to Miyares’ 47.6 percent.
Jones made headlines in October after the National Review reported he had sent text messages to Del. Carrie Coyner, R-Chesterfield, saying he hoped former House of Delegates Speaker Todd Gilbert and his kids would be shot for supporting Trump. Jones ran significantly under Spanberger’s vote share, but Spanberger’s large victory still left Jones a path to victory.
The attorney general’s race played an important role for the University, as the attorney general directly appoints and oversees the University counsel — the University’s top attorney. With Miyares in office, the University was unable to fight back against the Trump administration when it came under investigation. University Counsel Cliff Iler departed the University for the University of Arizona in October, and Jones will have the chance to appoint a new counsel when he takes office in January. — Ford McCracken, News Editor
9:10 p.m. — “We chose our Commonwealth over chaos”: Spanberger speaks to supporters in Richmond
Following the call that she would be the first female governor of Virginia, Spanberger spoke to a crowd of supporters at an election night celebration in Richmond, thanking Virginians for their votes and saying that she intends to serve all voters whether or not they voted for her.
“Our founders … didn't choose to call Virginia a Commonwealth by accident,” Spanberger said. “They chose it to signify that our government would be based on the power of the people, united for a common good. Not for a political party, not for a president, not for a monarch, but for a common good together, and tonight, Virginia proved that that tradition is alive and well.”
Spanberger took a moment to thank Earle-Sears for a hard fought campaign, offering a message for her voters after tonight’s defeat.
“The lieutenant governor’s story, her military service and her years of service here in Virginia deserve our respect and our gratitude,” Spanberger said. “To those Virginians who did not vote for me, I want you to know that my goal and my intent is to serve all Virginians.”
The governor-elect said she is looking forward to starting the job.
“We chose leadership that will always put Virginia first, and Virginia, I cannot wait to get to work for you,” Spanberger said. — Ford McCracken and Cecilia Mould, News Editors
8:28 p.m. — Lieutenant governor race is called for Hashmi
At 8:28 p.m., the Associated Press called the lieutenant governor’s race for Democrat candidate Ghazala Hashmi. With 57 percent of precincts reporting, Hashmi led Republican John Reid with 53.1 percent of the vote to Reid’s 46.7 percent.
In the City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County respectively, 17 and 16 percent of votes have been reported. Spanberger, Hashmi and Democratic attorney general candidate Jay Jones all lead in these two localities.
Jones’ race with Republican incumbent Jason Miyares remains too close to call, with Jones’ 50.8 percent leading Miyares’ 48.8 by only two points. — Cecilia Mould and Ford McCracken, News Editors
8:02 p.m. — AP calls gubernatorial race for Spanberger
At 8 p.m., the Associated Press called the race for Democrat Abigail Spanberger, who will become the first woman to serve as governor of Virginia. With 34 percent of precincts reporting, Spanberger led Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears with 54.5 percent of the vote to Earle-Sears’ 45.3 percent.
In Albemarle County, Spanberger currently leads with 63 percent of the vote to Earle-Sears’ 36 percent, with 10 percent of votes in.
At the time the race was called, no votes had been reported in the City of Charlottesville.
Races for lieutenant governor and attorney general have not yet been called. — Ford McCracken and Cecilia Mould, News Editors
7:05 p.m. — Polls have closed in Virginia, results can be expected shortly
It is 7 p.m. EST in Virginia, and polls have closed. If you were in line to vote at 7 p.m., you must be let in to vote even if the polls have closed. Results can be expected shortly.
Election officials at Trailblazer reported 886 ballots cast and 420 provisional ballots at 7 p.m., an increase of 93 voters since 5 p.m. — Lauren Seeliger, News Senior Writer
The Miller precinct saw 322 votes as of 6:45 p.m., five provisional ballots, which includes one same-day registrant. The polling station saw an increase of 40 votes cast since 5 p.m. — Adeline Miller, News Writer
Turnout at Johnson has reached 1105 voters as of 6:48 p.m., with 364 provisional ballots cast. That is an increase of 205 voters since the 5 p.m. count. — Jane Clare Bosher, News Writer
At 6:45 p.m., 1058 voters had cast ballots at Slaughter, according to election officials, and 497 provisional ballots had been cast. This is an increase of 158 votes since 5 p.m. — Michael Racz, News Writer
6:45 p.m. — Community members share thoughts on the national political climate
Some students held national politics in mind when voting in this statewide election, including second-year Engineering student Kerem Altunis. Altunis told The Cavalier Daily he chose to vote with hopes of counteracting President Donald Trump’s policies.
“On the national level, Trump has taken over for the most part,” Altunis said. “So we need small scale changes at a state level, and I feel like Abigail Spanberger can bring that.”
Similarly, at Miller, Class of 2006 alumna Maria Gall said that she strongly opposes Trump's policies and thinks that Spanberger brings valuable experience to the position.
“I really disagree with a lot of President Trump’s policies, to put that very simply … I really wanted to vote for Abigail Spanberger,” Gall said. “I feel like she's got great experience. I think that she's going to be moderate, because we're a purple state.”
Overall, third-year College student Hovsep Seferian said he thinks many students who are voting are reflecting ideals put forth by the University’s founder, Thomas Jefferson.
“I’ve seen so many U.Va. students at the polls,” Seferian said. “At the risk of sounding corny, it is what Jefferson would have wanted.” — Nina Broderick and Grace Little, News Senior Associates
Cecilia Mould and Adeline Miller contributed to this reporting.
5:35 p.m. — Students say they are voting to uphold their civic duty
Many student voters told The Cavalier Daily that they came out to the polls because they see voting as a key civic duty.
At Slaughter, first-year College student Simran Kaur emphasized the importance of exercising the right to vote, especially given how little time it takes to do so.
“I feel like it was very ingrained in me throughout school [that] voting is very important, every vote matters, and I think it's really important to voice your opinions,” Kaur said. “So I was like, why not? It's two seconds out of my day, might as well.”
Also at Trailblazer, second-year College student Teagan Chapman said she chose to vote because she finds it to be her civic duty.
“I’m voting to save democracy,” Chapman said. “I think Abigail Spanberger will help Virginia … and protect higher education.” — Nina Broderick and Grace Little, News Senior Associates
Jaylynn Perez contributed to this reporting.
5:30 p.m. — Total turnout at student polling places increases marginally at 5 p.m.
Turnout at Trailblazer as of 5 p.m. had reached 793 voters and 297 same-day registrants. That is an increase of 94 voters since the 3 p.m. count. — Adeline Miller, News Writer
Johnson has received 949 votes and around 300 same-day registrants as of 5 p.m., according to election officials. That is an increase of 147 voters from the 3 p.m. count. — Lauren Seeliger, News Senior Writer
Turnout at the Miller precinct increased only marginally from the 3 p.m. count, with 282 voters as of just before 5 p.m. — an increase of 13 voters. The precinct has still only seen one same-day registrant. — Jaylynn Perez, News Writer
Slaughter has received 900 votes as of 5 p.m. and 353 same-day registrants. That is an increase of 200 voters since the 3 p.m. count. — Jane Clare Bosher, News Writer
4:55 p.m. — Turnout is only slightly behind 2024 presidential
Despite this election coming in an off-year with no federal elections, turnout at student polling locations is only slightly lagging behind last year’s presidential election — which had historically high turnout. At Johnson for instance, the location received 889 votes by around 3:20 p.m. in 2024. Today, Johnson had seen 802 voters just after 3 p.m. The precinct had received 221 provisional ballots by 3:10 today, and received 264 provisionals by 3:20 in 2024.
At Trailblazer, 525 votes had been cast as of 1 p.m. In 2024, the precinct had received 675 votes just after 1 p.m.
The Miller Center had 269 votes as of 3 p.m. — in 2024, 275 ballots had been cast as of 2:27 p.m.
According to State Navigate’s turnout tracker, the City of Charlottesville had already reached over 63 percent of its total 2024 Election Day turnout by 1 p.m., and Albemarle County had reached over 65 percent as of 2 p.m. Polls do not close until 7 p.m.
Gubernatorial elections typically see substantially less turnout than presidential elections in Virginia. The last three presidential elections in Virginia saw a combined average of 72.6 percent of registered Virginians cast their ballots. Meanwhile, the last three gubernatorial races saw a combined average of 48.5 percent turnout. — Ford McCracken, News Editor
3:00 p.m. — Just four hours out from polls closing, more than 3,000 votes have been cast
Trailblazer has seen 266 same-day ballots and 699 votes, which is particularly high, according to an election official. The precinct has seen 174 more votes and 101 more provisional votes since 1 p.m. — Bertie Azqueta, News Writer
At Johnson, 802 voters have cast ballots, including 221 provisional ballots. The precinct has received 192 votes, since 3 p.m. — Ford McCracken, News Editor
The Miller Center has seen 269 votes and 5 provisional ballots, 1 one of which is same-day, as of 3:05 p.m. The Center has received 46 more votes since 1:00 p.m. — Michael Racz, News Writer
At 2 p.m., Slaughter had seen 700 votes and 212 same-day registrations. Since 1 p.m., the precinct has seen 331 additional votes. — Margaret Nichols, News Writer
1:00 p.m. — Student polling places see hundreds of same-day registrations
Trailblazer has had 525 votes cast and 165 provisional ballots, as of 12:51 p.m. The precinct has received 182 new voters and has nearly doubled in provisional ballots. — Nicolas Biernacki, News Senior Writer
As of 1:00 p.m., Johnson has seen 610 votes and 118 provisional ballots, the majority of which are same-day registrants, according to an election official. It has seen 166 additional voters and 68 additional provisional ballots since 11:00 a.m. this morning. — Ford McCracken, News Editor
At 12:57 p,.m., election officials said that the Miller Center has seen 218 voters and 2 same-day registrants. Since 10:55 a.m., the precinct has seen 71 more voters. — Luca Bailey, News Writer
Slaughter has seen 461 ballots cast and 120 same-day registrations, as of 1:10 p.m. Since 11:20 a.m., the polling station has received 120 more votes. — Jaylynn Perez, News Writer
11:30 a.m. — Student votes move into the thousands across polling stations
Trailblazer’s polling place has seen 343 votes and 84 provisional ballots, as of 11:05 a.m., meaning that 215 voters have cast their ballots since 9 a.m.. — Nina Broderick, News Senior Associate.
Johnson has had 444 total votes cast and about 50 same-day registrants, according to election officials. Since 9 a.m. this morning, 247 additional students have voted. — Lauren Seeliger, News Senior Writer
As of 10:55 a.m., the Miller Center has seen 149 voters and no same-day registration, election officials told The Cavalier Daily. The precinct has received 69 new voters since 9:15 a.m. — Margaret Nichols, News Writer
At 11:20 a.m., election officials said that 341 ballots had been cast at Slaughter, and estimated 100 provisional ballots. The precinct has received 220 new voters since about 9:25 this morning. — Lucia Gambacini, News Senior Writer
9:30 a.m. — Hundreds of votes cast at student polling places, Trailblazer sees morning rush
As of 9 a.m., the polling place at Trailblazer Elementary School, near 14th Street student housing, has seen 128 voters and 21 same-day registrants, according to election officials. — Grace Little, News Senior Associate
Also as of 9 a.m., the polling place at Johnson Elementary School has seen 197 voters and 10 same-day registrants. — Jane Clare Bosher, News Writer
The polling place at the Miller Center in Albemarle County has seen 80 voters as of just before 9:15 a.m. Election officials described that as good turnout, as they said that it is the smallest precinct in the county. The Miller Center had no same-day registrants at that time. — Cecilia Mould, News Editor
As of 9:25 a.m., the polling place at Slaughter Recreation Center in Albemarle County had seen 121 voters. — Melody Yuan, News Writer
6:00 a.m. — polls open in Virginia
Polls have now opened in the Commonwealth of Virginia, with elections for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and House of Delegates on the ballot, along with some local races. The Cavalier Daily has you covered with a guide on the statewide races and Charlottesville’s local elections, as well as what you need to know about voting in Virginia as a student.
Check back throughout the day for live updates on turnout at student polling places and results once polls close at 7 p.m. EST. — Ford McCracken, News Editor
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