Spanberger will be lone Democratic nominee for Virginia governor race

Abigail Spanberger’s path to the Democratic nomination for Virginia governor is officially clear.

The three-term former House member and former CIA case officer, who announced her bid to lead the state in November 2023, was confirmed as the party’s nominee by the Democratic Party of Virginia on Thursday after no other prospective candidates filed to run by the state deadline.

“As the Democratic nominee for Governor of Virginia, I look forward to having many more meaningful conversations with all Virginians — across our communities and regardless of who they’ve cast their votes for in the past — about the issues that matter most to them,” Spanberger said in a statement.

With Glenn Youngkin not in the race — Virginia does not allow its governors to serve consecutive terms — Spanberger could match up against Republican Winsome Earle-Sears, the state’s lieutenant governor.

The road to November hasn’t always looked so open for Spanberger. Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.) publicly toyed with the idea of running as recently as February. And the former mayor of Richmond, Levar Stoney, who had the backing of former governor Terry McAuliffe, dropped his bid in April 2024 to run for lieutenant governor, seeking to avoid a messy primary fight against Spanberger.

“We are ready for this moment, we are ready to stand up for Virginians, and we are ready to make Abigail Spanberger our next Governor,” Lamont Bagby, chair of the state Democratic party, said in a statement.