Former Representative Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) was officially confirmed on Thursday as the likely Democratic candidate for the governorship in Virginia’s 2025 election.
According to the Democratic Party of Virginia (DPVA), she is the only candidate from her party vying for the position of governor. The DPVA published a complete list of contenders participating in the 2025 primaries late Thursday after the 5 p.m. EDT registration cutoff time had been met.
The primary elections for Virginia will occur on June 17, 2025, with the general election scheduled for November 4, 2025.
The DPVA verified that Spanberger’s name "will be featured on the general election ballot."
"Thanks to all the Virginians who have shared their ideas for our state’s future with me since I began my campaign," stated Spanberger, a centrist Democrat who spent three terms in the House following her tenure as a CIA operative.
"As the Democratic candidate for Governor of Virginia, I am eager to engage in numerous substantive discussions with residents statewide — throughout our various communities and irrespective of previous voting patterns — regarding the topics that hold the greatest significance for them," she added in her statement.
The other Democratic primary contests in Virginia are expected to be more hotly contested.
The DPVA has included six names on the primary election ballot in June for the position of lieutenant governor: Alex Bastani, Senator Ghazala Hashmi, Prince William County School Board Chair Dr. Babur Lateef, Senator Aaron Rouse, Victor Salgado, and former Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney.
The DPVA verified two Democratic candidates for attorney general: ex-Delegate Jay Jones and Shannon Taylor, who is the Commonwealth’s Attorney from Henrico County.
On the Republican side, Virginia Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears (R) is seeking the gubernatorial office.
By Thursday night, it was still uncertain if ex-state Senator Amanda Chase (R) had fulfilled the criteria needed to secure a spot on the Republican primary ballot or if she would automatically become the presumed candidate for her party as well.
Chase mentioned that she submitted the required documents to run for governor on Thursday, though she didn’t manage to tally and confirm whether she met the needed signature requirement by the 5 p.m. cutoff for the primary ballot.
The Governor of Virginia, Glenn Youngkin (R), cannot participate in the November election because Virginia does not allow consecutive term servings for governors.
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