Democrat Abigail Spanberger is projected to be elected Virginia’s first female governor Tuesday, defeating pro-life Republican Winsome Earle-Sears in a contest that pro-life advocates warned could transform the state into the “abortion capital of the South.”
With exit polling data and early precincts reporting, the abortion activist is projected to become Virginia’s next governor and the first woman to hold the state’s highest office, according to Decision Desk HQ.
With 9% of the vote counted, Spanberger had a 56.7-43.4% lead over her pro-life challenger.
During the race, pro-life groups accused Spanberger of supporting “unlimited abortions up to birth” and sidestepping protections for infants who survive failed abortions.
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Spanberger, a former CIA officer and three-term congresswoman from suburban Richmond, centered her campaign on countering the policies of President Donald Trump’s second term and addressing cost-of-living pressures.
But pro-life critics seized on her record, including a high-profile debate moment last month where she declined to respond when Earle-Sears asked whether a baby born alive after an abortion should receive appropriate medical treatment.
The exchange, captured on video, has fueled accusations that Spanberger backs a proposed state constitutional amendment enshrining abortion without limits, potentially blocking future pro-life regulations and even threatening Virginia’s parental consent law for minors.
During the debate, when pressed further on whether schools should notify parents before facilitating abortions for minors, Spanberger sidestepped the question entirely.
The controversy echoes a 2021 scandal in Fairfax County Public Schools, where officials secretly arranged taxpayer-funded abortions for at least two pregnant students without parental notification.
Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, whom Earle-Sears served as lieutenant governor, launched a criminal probe into the matter earlier this year.
In a separate interview on live television, Spanberger had advocated strongly for expanded abortion, stating, “I think it is important that we have a constitutional guarantee of access to abortion.”
She added, “The question of abortion is a very politically charged one.”
Olivia Gans Turner, president of the Virginia Society for Human Life, warned that “under a Spanberger administration, Virginia would see unprecedented growth as an abortion destination and Virginia would become the abortion capital of the South.”
