Abigail Spanberger defeated Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears to become the first woman to lead Virginia.

Democrats are dominating the first major Election Day since President Donald Trump returned to the White House.

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Welcome to the 8News live blog for the Virginia General Election on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. The 8News team will share updated photos and stories throughout the day below. You can submit your own photos and videos to our “Report It” page. If you have an Election Day tip or issue to report, email us at [email protected].

Election Day 2025 is here, with consequential races in New York City, New Jersey, Virginia and a redistricting ballot measure in California.

New York City's Board of Elections released new vote tallies as of 6 p.m., and they show the historic turnout continues to grow. Over 1.7 million votes have been cast, according to the BOE. Of those votes, 1.01 million were cast Tuesday, according to the data.

Democrats celebrated several notable wins after Tuesday’s elections. Major victories include governor races in Virginia and New Jersey, a major ballot initiative in California, and the mayoral contest in New York City. Jimmy Kimmel was happy with the results, saying “we needed a big night.”

Former GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy says the party needs to address high electric bills, healthcare costs and housing affordability to win voters.

According to Lazard, the cost of utility-scale solar ranges from $38 to $78 per megawatt hour and offshore wind from $37 to $86 per megawatt hour. That's compared with $71 to $173 per megawatt hour for coal and $149 to $251 per megawatt hour for gas peaking plants, among fossil fuels.

In his first Truth Social post commenting on the election results, Trump suggested that the reasons why Democrats won is because he was not on the ballot and because of the government shutdown. Trump has repeatedly blamed Democrats for the shutdown despite Republicans controlling both chambers of Congress and the White House.

Major elections in New Jersey, Virginia, and NYC grab national attention three days before voting. State races seen as crucial tests ahead of 2026 midterms.