Lower Voter Turnout in Virginia’s Republican Districts Paves Way for Democrats

How did the shutdown affect voter turnout in Virginia?

Virginians are feeling the effects of the government shutdown—with tens of thousands in the state furloughed and 800,000 waiting for SNAP benefits to be refilled. NBC News’ Gary Grumbach reports on how the prolonged shutdown may have influenced high voter turnout in Tuesday’s governor election.

Turnout, percentage of Republican gubernatorial support down Tuesday

While Republican gubernatorial candidate Winsome Earle-Sears won all seven of the farthest Southwest Virginia counties in Tuesday’s election, she got a smaller percentage of votes in some counties than she did in her 2021 election as lieutenant governor.

Lower voter turnout in Virginia’s Republican districts paves way for Democrats

Fewer voters in almost all of Virginia’s historically Republican localities came out to decide who would be the first woman to serve as their governor than they did when Gov. Glenn Youngkin (…

Virginia Tech Experts Analyze Spanberger’s Win and Virginia’s First Female Governor

Virginia Tech experts are available to provide context surrounding Abigail Spanberger's win in Virginia's gubernatorial race. Cayce Myers, political campaign and public relations expert, offers context on how Virginia’s results fit into national trends: "The 2025 Election is viewed largely as a referendum on the first year of Trump's administration. The results highlight key themes that will carry into the 2026 midterms — economic affordability a