In Virginia, where Democrats are talking about an early 2026 redistricting, Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger carried eight of 11 congressional districts.

In governor’s races, higher spending has often lined up with winning campaigns. In all but one of the last seven elections, the candidate who spent the most money won. Democrats outspent Republicans in five of those seven races, according to an analysis published by the Virginia Public Access Project.

Voters in several Northern Virginia districts nominated candidates Tuesday who could be elected to serve on the state’s House of Delegates next year.

Polling in off-year election cycles is challenging because it’s hard to know who will turn out to vote. This year, the polls significantly overestimated the Republicans in the Virginia and New Jersey governor’s races, which both had particularly high turnout for an off year. In 2021, polls had the opposite problem, as they overestimated Democrats.

More special elections are being set in Virginia’s legislature as a growing number of Democratic lawmakers depart the House of Delegates to join the incoming administration of Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger or pursue higher office.

Politics Honors students fanned out across Charlottesville to conduct research on voter attitudes and behavior.

Democratic Delegate Mike Jones (Left) and Republican Defense Contractor John R. Thomas (Right) will face off in a special session for Lt. Governor-elect Ghazala Hashmi's Senate seat in January. After state Senator Ghazala Hashmi’s resounding Lt. Governor win last month, two candidates have emerged to take her Richmond-area seat.

FAIRFAX, Va. — Virginia Department of Elections officials have set a date for a special election to replace Fairfax County Del. David Bulova. The special election is set for Jan. 13, 2026.