Spanberger And Earle-sears Want To Make History In Virginia. But Voters Have Election Exhaustion

Just weeks after former Rep. Abigail Spanberger left the U.S. House for good, she strolled onto the floor of a different political chamber: the Virginia House of Delegates. The three-term congresswoman, now vying to be the state's next governor, rubbed elbows with fellow Democrats and held someone's baby at her hip, a not-so-subtle reminder that statewide elections are looming in the commonwealth this year.

"Shouldn't you be out knocking on doors or something?" Democratic House Speaker Don Scott teased Spanberger, who minutes before had scooped up the infant nephew of a Democratic state lawmaker. The politicians shared a laugh.

For many U.S. voters exhausted by the 2024 elections, the early months of 2025 feel like a time to step away from politics. But the next campaign season has already begun in Virginia - where the governor and all 100 House members will soon be on the ballot - and the contours of a closely watched governor's race are taking shape. While Spanberger posed for photos and waved at fellow Virginians traversing the Capitol, Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears met with lawmakers at a news conference just down the hall, pitching her own candidacy for the top job and framing the race as a two-way contest between her and Spanberger.

That's a scenario widely predicted even by neutral Virginia observers and one that would give the state its first female governor. Both are looking to succeed Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin , who is term-limited.

"My opponent has said that she is going to run on the successes of a Republican administration," Earle-Sears said of Spanberger that day. "Well, why should we change teams?"