As election day arrived, Democrat Abigail Spanberger and Republican Winsome Earle-Sears ran for Virginia Governor. After announcing their candidacy in Nov. 2023 (Spanberger) and Sept. 2024 (Earle-Sears), both candidates began their campaigns in hopes of winning Virginia.

     Regardless of someone’s political standpoint, this year’s Governor’s race was different from those in the past. While the first woman to run for Virginia Governor was Lillie Curtis in 1941, this year, Virginia elected its first female Governor. 

     “It is definitely a milestone in our state’s and nation’s history,” said junior Hurley Lucckese. “Virginia is one of the most historic states, and this [was] definitely an election to go down in the history books.”

     Virginia is not the only state to have a woman governor. According to CAWP, 32 other states have elected women in the past. The first state to have a woman serve as governor was Wyoming, with Nellie Tayloe Ross in 1924. 

     “This time, we have two women running against each other, which adds new perspectives,” said Lucckese. “A woman’s perspective is so different from that of two males, and it’s so important to have women in our government for this reason.”

     Besides both candidates being female, the 2025 Governor’s race was different for other reasons. Candidates typically have opposing viewpoints which is why they run against each other, but this year those following the race have noticed a greater divide. 

     “I think that the campaigning for this race [was] extremely intense,” said sophomore Austyn Frame. “I feel that the average and moderate Virginians [had] a difficult decision of where to put their vote because both candidates have come off extremely strong and radical.”

     In early Oct., Spanberger and Earle-Sears debated on many topics. Taxes and affordability was brought up when Earle-Sears mentioned her plan to eliminate the property tax on cars. Spanberger chimed in and said that she “agreed the car tax is unpopular”, but that Earle-Sears had the opportunity to get rid of it previously in her career and didn’t according to the Virginia Mercury. Another topic mentioned was education where both Spanberger and Earle-Sears agreed that parents should have involvement in their children’s education. 

     Following the counting of the ballots, Spanberger was elected Virginia’s first female governor with 57.5% of the votes according to NBC News.