1 month ago
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(NewsNation) — NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ has called the Virginia politician contention successful favour of Abigail Spanberger.
Democrat Abigail Spanberger, a erstwhile three-term congresswoman, faced Republican Winsome Earle-Sears, Virginia’s lieutenant governor, successful a contention that decided who would go the archetypal pistillate to pb the state.
Spanberger entered Tuesday’s predetermination arsenic the favourite to win term-limited Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, bolstered by a important fundraising advantage.
The contention was wide viewed arsenic a trial of Democratic spot successful a authorities that backed Kamala Harris by six points successful 2024 — narrower than Joe Biden’s 10-point borderline successful 2020.
Virginia has a agelong past of swinging distant from the enactment successful the White House. In 11 of the past 12 gubernatorial elections, voters person chosen a politician from a antithetic enactment than the incumbent president. The lone objection came successful 2013, erstwhile Democrat Terry McAuliffe was elected portion Barack Obama was successful the Oval Office.
Spanberger, a centrist Democrat, leaned heavy into cost-of-living concerns passim the campaign, unveiling her “Affordable Virginia Plan” successful June, a blueprint focused connected tackling wellness care, lodging and vigor costs.
Rising electricity bills person go a cardinal interest successful Virginia, which has softly go the data halfway capital of the world.
Spanberger laid retired a program to enactment star and upwind accumulation successful “common-sense locations,” but Earle-Sears criticized that attack astatine a recent debate: “Well, if you look outside, the prima isn’t shining and the breeze isn’t blowing, and past what, Abigail, what volition you do?”
Instead, Earle-Sears pushed for what she called an “all-of-the-above approach” that includes coal, oil, earthy gas, atomic and renewables.
More broadly, the lieutenant politician vowed to combat for “common-sense taxation cuts” and opposed sanctuary cities, promising to enactment alongside the Trump medication to region those who “threaten nationalist safety.”
Earle-Sears besides leaned into taste issues passim her campaign, attacking Spanberger implicit transgender issues and accusing her of being “for they/them, not us.”
Abortion rights were different cardinal contented for voters. Virginia remains the lone Southern authorities that has maintained wide entree to termination since the U.S. Supreme Court successful 2022 eliminated a nationalist close to the procedure, according to The Associated Press.
Spanberger supports a projected authorities law amendment that volition scope voters lone if Democrats support their House of Delegates majority. Earle-Sears, a longtime termination opponent, said that voters volition yet determine connected the law amendment.
About three-quarters of Virginia voters successful the 2024 statesmanlike predetermination said termination argumentation had an interaction connected which candidates they supported, per the AP. But acold fewer, conscionable 1 successful 10, considered it the nation’s apical issue, good down the system and immigration.
President Donald Trump voiced enactment for Earle-Sears but had not fully endorsed the GOP nominee 1 time earlier the election.
As of aboriginal September, determination were astir 6.3 cardinal registered voters successful Virginia, though they bash not registry by party.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
