Richmond: Multiple U.S. media outlets projected Tuesday night that Democrat Abigail Spanberger, a former congresswoman, will win the Virginia governor race and flip control of the governorship in the Blue-leaning state. NBC News, Fox News, and others made the projection around 8 p.m. Tuesday (0100 GMT Wednesday), roughly an hour after polls closed.

According to Namibia Press Agency, Spanberger will succeed Governor Glenn Youngkin, a Republican who was barred from running again by state term limits, and become the first woman to lead Virginia. Spanberger, 46, centered her campaign heavily on economic and affordability issues, defeating Republican Winsome Earle-Sears, the lieutenant governor who frequently praised President Donald Trump and his policies on the campaign trail.

NBC News reported that Spanberger, a former CIA officer, flipped a Republican-held House seat in 2018 and established herself as a more moderate Democrat, an image she cultivated during her campaign for governor. Her victory provides Democrats with a shot of momentum as the party attempts to chart its path forward after its 2024 election defeat.

The ABC News noted that the governor’s race is “of particular interest” this year because Virginia is home to more than 300,000 federal workers, many of whom were likely affected by efforts made by the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to slash the federal workforce and the current government shutdown that has no end in sight.

Both parties are closely watching the gubernatorial elections in Virginia and New Jersey, as well as the mayoral election in New York City on Tuesday. Observers believe that the parties’ performance in these elections could influence their decision-making amid the government shutdown and push them toward seeking compromise.