Virginia Governor
General information
Office Type:	Partisan
Office website:	Official Link
Compensation:	$175,000
2026 FY Budget:	$10,812,090
Term limits:	Cannot succeed themselves, no limit on total number of terms
Structure
Length of term:	4 years
Authority:	Virginia Constitution, Article V, Section 1
Selection Method:	Elected
Current Officeholder(s)
Governor of Virginia Abigail Spanberger Democratic Party Assumed office: January 17, 2026
Elections
Next election:	2029
Last election:	2025
Other Virginia Executive Offices
Governor •Lieutenant Governor •Secretary of State •Attorney General •Treasurer •Auditor •Superintendent of Education •Agriculture Commissioner •Insurance Commissioner •Natural Resources Commissioner •Labor Commissioner •Public Service Commission

The Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia is an elected constitutional officer, the head of the executive branch and the highest state office inVirginia. The Governor is popularly elected every four years by a plurality. Although there is no life-term term limit, the governor cannot serve consecutive terms.^[1]

Virginia has a Democratictrifecta. The Democratic Party controls the office of governor and both chambers of the state legislature.

Virginia has a Democratictriplex. The Democratic Party controls the offices of governor, secretary of state, and attorney general.

See also:Virginia State Legislature,Virginia House of Delegates,Virginia State Senate

Current officeholder

The current Governor of Virginia isAbigail Spanberger (D). Spanberger assumed office in 2026.

Authority

Thestate Constitution addresses the office of the governor inArticle V, the Executive.

Under Article V, Section I:

Qualifications

A candidate for the office of governor of Virginia must be:^[2]

• a United States citizen
• a resident and registered voter of Virginia for at least five years preceding the election
• at least 30 years old

Vacancies

See also:How gubernatorial vacancies are filled

Details of vacancies are addressed underArticle V, Section 16.If a Governor-elect dies, resigns, fails to qualify, or cannot take office for any other reason, the Lieutenant Governor-elect takes office as Governor and serves the full term. If the Governor-elect is only temporarily unable to take the oath, the Lieutenant Governor-elect serves as Acting Governor until the disability is removed.

"In the case of the removal of the Governor from office or in the case of his disqualification, death, or resignation, the Lieutenant Governor shall become Governor."

While death and resignation are straightforward, what about disqualification? One option outlined in Section 16 states:

"Whenever the Attorney General, the President pro tempore of the Senate, and the Speaker of the House of Delegates, or a majority of the total membership of the General Assembly, transmit to the Clerk of the Senate and the Clerk of the House of Delegates their written declaration that the Governor is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Lieutenant Governor shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting Governor."

If that were to happen, the governor could still offer a "written declaration that no inability exists" and resume the position unless theAttorney General, the Presidentpro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Delegates, or a majority of the total membership of the General Assembly, reply with their own written declaration, reaffirming their beliefs that the governor is unable to discharge the duties of the office. That then sends the issue to theGeneral Assembly to decide.

Also worth noting is thatVirginia has a unique process for removing elected officials from office that is akin to arecall, but gives jurisdiction to a circuit court, which would hold a trial. Created in 1975 and modified in 1989, 1993, 2002, and 2011, § 24.2-233 of the Virginia code states:^[3]

"Upon petition, a circuit court may remove from office any elected officer or officer who has been appointed to fill an elective office, residing within the jurisdiction of the court."

Thepetition would require signatures of registered voters equal to ten percent of the total number of votes cast in the last election for the office. The terms of which an official can be removed include neglect of duty, misuse of office, or incompetence in the performance of duties when that neglect of duty, misuse of office, or incompetence in the performance of duties has a material adverse effect upon the conduct of the office, or upon conviction of a drug-related misdemeanor or a misdemeanor involving a "hate crime."^[3][4]

At any time, a sitting Governor may transmit a written statement to both the President Pro Tem of theSenate and the Speaker of theHouse that she is temporarily unable to serve, at which time theLieutenant Governor becomes Acting Governor. The Governor resumes her duties by making a second written declaration to the same two officers.

If, at the time a vacancy occurs, an emergency prevents the Assembly from convening, the preordained line of succession behind the Governor and the Lieutenant Governor is as follows:

• the Speaker of the House of Delegates
• the Delegate named to act as the Speaker's stead in the Rules of the House of Delegates
• the President Pro Tem of the Senate
• the Majority Leader of the Senate

Such an individual serves as Acting Governor until the General Assembly is able to convene.

The General Assembly also has the discretion to pass a law that waives the eligibility requirements to serve as Governor or Acting Governor. Such a law may only apply in an "emergency or enemy attack upon the soil of Virginia" and only when the Governor or the duly appointed officer has proclaimed an emergency.

Elections

Virginia state government organizational chart

Virginia belongs to the handful of states that hold off-year elections, that is, elections in off-numbered years that are neither presidential nor midterm years. In Virginia's case, elections are held in the year after a presidential and before a midterm; thus, 2021, 2025, 2029, and 2033 are all gubernatorial election years.

Legally, the inauguration is always held on the Saturday after the second Wednesday in January after an election.^[5] In the event of a tie between two candidates or a contested election, a joint session of the legislature shall cast ballots.

Term limits

See also:States with gubernatorial term limits

Virginia governors are not allowed to succeed themselves in office, however, they have no restrictions on the number of times they may hold the position. This was once a common provision among America's gubernatorial offices, but Virginia is now the only state that continues to apply it.

Virginia Constitution, Article V, Section 1

Partisan composition

The chart below shows the partisan composition of the Office of the Governor of Virginia from 1992 to 2013.

2025

See also:Virginia gubernatorial election, 2025

General election

General election for Governor of Virginia

Abigail Spanberger defeatedWinsome Earle-Sears in the general election for Governor of Virginia on November 4, 2025.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Abigail Spanberger (D)	57.6	1,976,857
		Winsome Earle-Sears (R)	42.2	1,449,586
		Other/Write-in votes	0.2	6,897

---

	There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,433,340
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Donna Charles (Independent)
• Levar Stoney (D)

Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled.Abigail Spanberger advanced from the Democratic primary for Governor of Virginia.

Republican primary election

The Republican primary election was canceled.Winsome Earle-Sears advanced from the Republican primary for Governor of Virginia.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Merle Rutledge (R)
• Dave LaRock (R)
• Amanda Chase (R)

2021

See also:Virginia gubernatorial election, 2021

General election

General election for Governor of Virginia

Glenn Youngkin defeatedTerry McAuliffe,Princess Blanding, andPaul Davis in the general election for Governor of Virginia on November 2, 2021.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Glenn Youngkin (R)	50.6	1,663,596
		Terry McAuliffe (D)	48.6	1,600,116
		Princess Blanding (Liberation Party)	0.7	23,125
		Paul Davis (Independent) (Write-in)	0.0	0
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	2,593

---

	There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,289,430
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Brad Froman (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of Virginia

Terry McAuliffe defeatedJennifer D. Carroll Foy,Jennifer McClellan,Justin Fairfax, andLee Carter in the Democratic primary for Governor of Virginia on June 8, 2021.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Terry McAuliffe	62.1	307,367
		Jennifer D. Carroll Foy	19.8	98,052
		Jennifer McClellan	11.8	58,213
		Justin Fairfax	3.6	17,606
		Lee Carter	2.8	13,694

---

	There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 494,932
= candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team.

Republican convention

Republican Convention for Governor of Virginia

Select round:Round 6Round 5Round 4Round 3Round 2Round 1

The following candidates advanced in theranked-choice voting election:Glenn Youngkin in round 6 . The results of Round are displayed below. To see the results of other rounds, use the dropdown menu above to select a round and the table will update.

		Candidate	%	Total Votes	Transfer	Round eliminated
		Glenn Youngkin	54.7	6,868	1,557	Advanced (6)
		Pete Snyder	45.3	5,686	1,608	6
		Amanda Chase	0.0	0	-3,164	6
		Kirk Cox	0.0	0	0	5
		Sergio de la Pena	0.0	0	0	4
		Peter Doran	0.0	0	0	3
	Submit photo	Octavia L. Johnson	0.0	0	0	1

		Candidate	%	Total Votes	Transfer	Round eliminated
		Glenn Youngkin	42.3	5,311	979	Advanced (6)
		Pete Snyder	32.5	4,078	575	6
		Amanda Chase	25.2	3,164	305	6
		Kirk Cox	0.0	0	-1,860	5
		Sergio de la Pena	0.0	0	0	4
		Peter Doran	0.0	0	0	3
	Submit photo	Octavia L. Johnson	0.0	0	0	1

		Candidate	%	Total Votes	Transfer	Round eliminated
		Glenn Youngkin	34.5	4,332	183	Advanced (6)
		Pete Snyder	27.9	3,503	253	6
		Amanda Chase	22.8	2,859	239	6
		Kirk Cox	14.8	1,860	154	5
		Sergio de la Pena	0.0	0	-830	4
		Peter Doran	0.0	0	0	3
	Submit photo	Octavia L. Johnson	0.0	0	0	1

		Candidate	%	Total Votes	Transfer	Round eliminated
		Glenn Youngkin	33.0	4,149	8	Advanced (6)
		Pete Snyder	25.9	3,250	6	6
		Amanda Chase	20.9	2,620	8	6
		Kirk Cox	13.6	1,706	8	5
		Sergio de la Pena	6.6	830	17	4
		Peter Doran	0.0	0	-48	3
	Submit photo	Octavia L. Johnson	0.0	0	0	1

		Candidate	%	Total Votes	Transfer	Round eliminated
		Glenn Youngkin	33.0	4,141	9	Advanced (6)
		Pete Snyder	25.8	3,244	2	6
		Amanda Chase	20.8	2,612	6	6
		Kirk Cox	13.5	1,698	4	5
		Sergio de la Pena	6.5	813	8	4
		Peter Doran	0.4	48	6	3
	Submit photo	Octavia L. Johnson	0.0	0	-34	1

		Candidate	%	Total Votes	Transfer	Round eliminated
		Glenn Youngkin	32.9	4,132	0	Advanced (6)
		Pete Snyder	25.8	3,242	0	6
		Amanda Chase	20.8	2,606	0	6
		Kirk Cox	13.5	1,694	0	5
		Sergio de la Pena	6.4	805	0	4
		Peter Doran	0.3	42	0	3
	Submit photo	Octavia L. Johnson	0.3	34	0	1

---

	There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 12,555
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Merle Rutledge (R)
• Kurt Santini (R)
• Paul Davis (R)

Past elections

Expand All

2017

See also:Virginia gubernatorial election, 2017

Virginia held an election forgovernor onNovember 7, 2017. GovernorTerry McAuliffe (D) wasterm-limited and ineligible to run for re-election to a consecutive term.

The general election took place onNovember 7, 2017. A primary election was held onJune 13, 2017. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in the primary election was March 30, 2017.

Ralph Northam (D) defeatedEd Gillespie (R) andCliff Hyra (Libertarian) in the election for Governor of Virginia.^[6]

Virginia Gubernatorial Election, 2017
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Ralph Northam	53.93%	1,409,175
	Republican	Ed Gillespie	45.00%	1,175,731
	Libertarian	Cliff Hyra	1.07%	27,987
Total Votes				2,612,893
Source:Virginia Department of Elections

Ralph Northam defeatedTom Perriello in the Democratic primary for Governor of Virginia.^[7]

Virginia Democratic Gubernatorial Primary, 2017
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Ralph Northam	55.90%	303,541
Tom Perriello	44.10%	239,505
Total Votes		543,046
Source:The New York Times

Ed Gillespie defeatedCorey Stewart andFrank Wagner in the Republican primary for Governor of Virginia.^[7]

Virginia Republican Gubernatorial Primary, 2017
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Ed Gillespie	43.71%	160,100
Corey Stewart	42.53%	155,780
Frank Wagner	13.76%	50,394
Total Votes		366,274
Source:The New York Times

2013

On November 5, 2013,Terry McAuliffe won election to the office of Governor of Virginia. He defeated Ken Cuccinelli (R) in the general election.

Governor of Virginia, 2013
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Terry McAuliffe	47.7%	1,069,789
	Republican	Ken Cuccinelli	45.2%	1,013,354
	Libertarian	Robert Sarvis	6.6%	146,984
	Write-In	Various	0.5%	11,087
Total Votes				2,241,214
Election results viaVirginia State Board of Elections.

2009

On November 3, 2009,Bob McDonnell won election to the office of Governor of Virginia. He defeated R. Creigh Deeds in the general election.

Governor of Virginia, 2009
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Bob McDonnell	58.6%	1,163,651
	Democratic	R. Creigh Deeds	41.3%	818,950
	Write-In	Various	0.1%	2,502
Total Votes				1,985,103
Election results viaVirginia State Board of Elections.

2005

On November 8, 2005,Tim Kaine won election to the office of Governor of Virginia. He defeated J.W. Kilgore, H.R. Potts, Jr. in the general election.

Governor of Virginia, 2005
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Tim Kaine	51.7%	1,025,942
	Republican	J.W. Kilgore	46%	912,327
	Independent	H.R. Potts, Jr.	2.2%	43,953
	Write-In	Various	0.1%	1,556
Total Votes				1,983,778
Election results viaVirginia State Board of Elections.

2001

On November 6, 2001,Mark Warner won re-election to the office of Governor of Virginia. He defeated M.L. Early,William B. Redpath in the general election.

Governor of Virginia, 2001
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Mark Warner	52.2%	984,177
	Republican	M.L. Early	47%	887,234
	Libertarian	William B. Redpath	0.8%	14,497
	Write-In	Various	0%	813
Total Votes				1,886,721
Election results viaVirginia State Board of Elections.

Duties

Thegovernor is responsible for ensuring that the laws of the state are faithfully executed and is responsible for the safety of the state, serving as commander-in-chief of the Virginia Militia. The governor must convene thelegislature when two-thirds of each house calls for a special session (§ 5).

Other duties and privileges of the office include:

• The governor makes an address to the legislature at least once during each regular session concerning the state of the Commonwealth and containing gubernatorial recommendations (§ 5).

• The governor has the legislative power to submit recommendations and to call special sessions when deemed necessary (§ 5).

• The governor has veto powers over bills and appropriations. All bills must be sent to the governor before becoming law. The governor may sign the bill, let it sit unsigned for seven days after which it becomes law, or veto the legislation. After a veto, the bill returns to its house of origin and may be overridden by two-thirds of the vote in each house (§ 6).

• The governor also has the power to use a line-item veto. The governor may send legislation back to the legislature with recommendations and amendments, including severable amendments. The legislature must either approve the changes by a majority in each house, or override the veto with a two-thirds majority in each house (§ 6).

• The governor is commander-in-chief of Virginia's armed forces (§ 7).

• The governor may also communicate with other states and foreign powers (§ 7).

• The governor has the power to fill vacancies in positions unless the position is appointed by the legislature (§ 7).

• The governor may commute fines or sentences and issue pardons, excepting cases when the conviction was made by the House of Delegates. The governor may also restore voting rights and overturn other political penalties on individuals (§ 12).

• The governor must reside at the seat of government during the term (§ 4).

• The governor may require information, in writing and under oath, from any executive officer, officer of an administrative department, or officer of a state institution, on any aspect of that officer's duties and office (§ 8).

• The governor may require formal legal opinions from theAttorney General of Virginia (§ 8).

• The governor appoints all administrative officers, subject to the confirmation of the Senate or the General Assembly, as required by law, and provided the nominee have the legal qualifications for the office ((§ 8).

• Attesting to all commissions and grants made by the Commonwealth of Virginia (§ 17).^[8]

Divisions

Note:Ballotpedia's state executive officials project researches state official websites for information that describes the divisions (if any exist) of a state executive office. That information for the Governor of Virginia has not yet been added. After extensive research we were unable to identify any relevant information on state official websites. If you have any additional information about this office for inclusion on this section and/or page, pleaseemail us.

State budget

Role in state budget

See also:Virginia state budget and finances

The state operates on a biennial budget cycle. The sequence of key events in the budget process is as follows:^[9]

1. Budget instructions are sent to state agencies inAugust.
2. State agency budget requests are submittedSeptember throughOctober.
3. Thegovernor submits his or her proposed budget to theVirginia General Assembly inDecember.
4. The General Assembly adopts a budget inMarch orApril. A simple majority is required to pass a budget.
5. The biennial budget cycle begins inJuly.

Virginia is one of 44 states in which the governor hasline item veto authority.^[9][10]

The legislature is not required to pass, and the governor is not required to sign, a balanced budget. However, the governor is required to make sure actual expenditures do not exceed revenues by the end of the appropriation period.^[9]

Governor's office budget

The budget for the Governor's Office in Fiscal Year 2026 was $10,812,090.^[11]

Compensation

See also:Comparison of gubernatorial salaries andCompensation of state executive officers

See statutes:VA Code § 2.2-201 (2014)

The governor is entitled to receive a fixed annual salary in accordance with Title 2, Chapter 2 of the Virginia Code (§ 2.2-201).^[12] The amount is set by law, pursuant toArticle V, Section 4 of theVirginia Constitution:

2023

In 2023, the officer's salary was $175,000, according to theCouncil of State Governments.^[13]

2022

In 2022, the officer's salary was $175,000, according to theCouncil of State Governments.^[14]

2021

In 2021, the governor received a salary of $175,000, according to theCouncil of State Governments.^[15]

2020

In 2020, the governor received a salary of $175,000 according to theCouncil of State Governments.^[16]

2019

In 2019, the governor received a salary of $175,000 according to theCouncil of State Governments.^[17]

2018

In 2018, the governor received a salary of $175,000 according to theCouncil of State Governments.^[18]

2017

In 2017, the governor received a salary of $175,000 according to theCouncil of State Governments.^[19]

2016

In 2016, the governor received a salary of $175,000 according to theCouncil of State Governments.^[20]

2015

In 2015, the governor received a salary of $175,000, according to theCouncil of State Governments.^[21]

2014

In 2014, the governor received a salary of $175,000, according to theCouncil of State Governments.^[22]

2013

In 2013, the governor's salary was $175,000.^[23]

2010

In 2010, the governor was paid$166,000 a year, the 5th highest gubernatorial salary in America.

Historical officeholders

There have been 75 governors of Virginia since 1776. (Acting governors are listed below but not counted). Of the 75 officeholders, 39 were Democrats, 13 were Democratic-Republicans, eight had no party, eight were Republicans, two were Conservative, two were Federalists, two were Whigs, and one was a Readjuster.^[24]

List of Former Officeholders from 1776-Present
#	Name	Tenure	Party
1	Patrick Henry	1776 - 1779	No Party
2	Thomas Jefferson	1779 - 1781	No Party
3	William Fleming	1781 - 1781	No Party
4	Thomas Nelson	1781 - 1781	No Party
-	David Jameson	1781 - 1781	No Party
5	Benjamin Harrison	1781 - 1784	No Party
6	Patrick Henry	1784 – 1786	No Party
7	Edmund Randolph	1786 - 1788	No Party
8	Beverley Randolph	1788 - 1791	No Party
9	Henry Lee	1791 - 1794	Federalist
10	Robert Brooke	1794 - 1796	Democratic-Republican
11	James Wood	1796 - 1799	Federalist
-	Hardin Burnley	1799 - 1799	No Party
-	John Pendleton	1799 - 1799	No Party
12	James Monroe	1799 - 1802	Democratic-Republican
13	John Page	1802 - 1805	Democratic-Republican
14	William Henry Cabell	1805 - 1808	Democratic-Republican
15	John Tyler	1808 - 1810	Democratic-Republican
-	George William Smith	1811 - 1811	Democratic-Republican
16	James Monroe	1811 – 1811	Democratic-Republican
17	George William Smith	1811 - 1811	Democratic-Republican
-	Peyton Randolph	1811 - 1812	Democratic-Republican
18	James Barbour	1812 - 1814	Democratic-Republican
19	Wilson Cary Nicholas	1814 - 1816	Democratic-Republican
20	James Patton Preston	1816 - 1819	Democratic-Republican
21	Thomas Mann Randolph	1819 - 1822	Democratic-Republican
22	James Pleasants	1822 - 1825	Democratic-Republican
23	John Tyler	1825 - 1827	Democratic-Republican
24	William Branch Giles	1827 - 1830	Democratic
25	John Buchanan Floyd	1830 - 1834	Democratic
26	Littleton Waller Tazewell	1834 - 1836	Whig
-	Wyndham Robertson	1836 - 1837	Whig
27	David Campbell	1837 - 1840	Democratic
28	Thomas Walker Gilmer	1840 - 1841	Whig
-	John Mercer Patton	1841 - 1841	Whig
-	John Rutherfoord	1841 - 1842	Whig
-	John Munford Gregory	1842 - 1843	Whig
29	James McDowell	1843 - 1846	Democratic
30	William Smith	1846 - 1849	Democratic
31	John Buchanan Floyd	1848 - 1851	Democratic
32	Joseph Johnson	1852 - 1856	Democratic
33	Henry Alexander Wise	1856 - 1860	Democratic
34	John Letcher	1860 - 1864	Democratic
35	William Smith	1864 – 1865	Democratic
Disputed	Francis Harrison Pierpont	1865 – 1868	Republican
Reconstruction	Henry Horatio Wells	1868 - 1869	Republican
36	Gilbert Carlton Walker	1869 - 1874	Republican
37	James Lawson Kemper	1874 - 1878	Conservative
38	Frederick William Mackey Holliday	1878 - 1882	Conservative
39	William E. Cameron	1882 - 1886	Readjuster
40	Fitzhugh Lee	1886 - 1890	Democratic
41	Philip Watkins McKinney	1890 - 1894	Democratic
42	Charles Triplett O'Ferrall	1894 - 1898	Democratic
43	James Hoge Tyler	1898 - 1902	Democratic
44	Andrew Jackson Montague	1902 - 1906	Democratic
45	Claude Augustus Swanson	1906 - 1910	Democratic
46	William Hodges Mann	1910 - 1914	Democratic
47	Henry Carter Stuart	1914 - 1918	Democratic
48	Westmoreland Davis	1918 - 1922	Democratic
49	Elbert Lee Trinkle	1922 - 1926	Democratic
50	Harry Flood Byrd	1926 - 1930	Democratic
51	John Garland Pollard	1930 - 1934	Democratic
52	George Campbell Peery	1934 - 1938	Democratic
53	James Hubert Price	1938 - 1942	Democratic
54	Colgate Whitehead Darden	1942 - 1946	Democratic
55	William Munford Tuck	1946 - 1950	Democratic
56	John Stewart Battle	1950 - 1954	Democratic
57	Thomas Bahnson Stanley	1954 - 1958	Democratic
58	James Lindsay Almond	1958 - 1962	Democratic
59	Albertis S. Harrison	1962 - 1966	Democratic
60	Mills Edwin Godwin	1966 - 1970	Democratic
61	Linwood Holton	1970 - 1974	Republican
62	Mills Edwin Godwin	1974 - 1978	Republican
63	John Nichols Dalton	1978 - 1982	Republican
64	Charles Spittal Robb	1982 - 1986	Democratic
65	Gerald L. Baliles	1986 - 1990	Democratic
66	L. Douglas Wilder	1990 - 1994	Democratic
67	George Allen	1994 - 1998	Republican
68	James S. Gilmore	1998 - 2002	Republican
69	Mark Warner	2002 - 2006	Democratic
70	Tim Kaine	2006 - 2010	Democratic
71	Bob McDonnell	2010 – 2014	Republican
72	Terry McAuliffe	2014 – 2018	Democratic
73	Ralph Northam	2018 – 2022	Democratic
74	Glenn Youngkin	2022 - 2026	Republican
75	Abigail Spanberger	2026 - present	Democratic

History

Partisan balance 1992-2013

See also:Ballotpedia:Who Runs the States andBallotpedia:Who Runs the States, Virginia

Partisan breakdown of the Virginia governorship from 1992-2013

From 1992-2013, in Virginia there were Democratic governors in office for 10 years while there were Republican governors in office for 12 years, including the last four. Virginia was under Republicantrifectas for the last two years of the study period.

Across the country, there were 493 years of Democratic governors (44.82%) and 586 years of Republican governors (53.27%) from 1992 to 2013.

Over the course of the 22-year study, state governments became increasingly more partisan. At the outset of the study period (1992), 18 of the 49 states with partisan legislatures had single-party trifectas and 31 states had divided governments. In 2013, only 13 states had divided governments, while single-party trifectas held sway in 36 states, the most in the 22 years studied.

The chart below shows the partisan composition of theOffice of the Governor of Virginia, theVirginia State Senate and theVirginia House of Delegates from 1992 to 2013.

SQLI and partisanship

The chart below depicts the partisanship of the Virginia state government and the state's SQLI ranking for the years studied. For the SQLI, the states were ranked from 1-50, with 1 being the best and 50 the worst. During the course of the study, Virginia experienced both Democratic and Republican trifectas as well as divided governments. For over half the years of the study, Virginia was ranked in the top-10. This occurred during a Democratic trifecta, Republican trifectas and divided government. Both its highest ranking, finishing 1st in 2006, and its lowest ranking, finishing 26th in 1997, occurred during divided governments.

• SQLI average with Democratic trifecta: 11.00
• SQLI average with Republican trifecta: 7.67
• SQLI average with divided government: 9.00

Chart displaying the partisanship of the Virginia government from 1992-2013 and the State Quality of Life Index (SQLI).

Contact information

Office of the Governor
Patrick Henry Building, 3rd Floor
1111 East Broad Street
Richmond, Virginia 23219
Phone:804-786-2211
Fax:804-371-6351

State profile

Presidential voting pattern

See also:Presidential voting trends in Virginia

Virginiavoted for the Democratic candidate in five out of the seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

Pivot Counties (2016)

Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted forDonald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting forBarack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won thesePivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, five are located in Virginia, accounting for 2.43 percent of the total pivot counties.^[25]

Pivot Counties (2020)

In2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won asRetained Pivot Counties and those won byJoe Biden (D) asBoomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Virginia had five Retained Pivot Counties, 2.76 percent of all Retained Pivot Counties.

More Virginia coverage on Ballotpedia

• Elections in Virginia
• United States congressional delegations from Virginia
• Public policy in Virginia
• Endorsers in Virginia
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See also

Virginia	State Executive Elections	News and Analysis
Virginia State Executive OfficesVirginia State LegislatureVirginia Courts	2026 •2025 •2024 •2023 •2022 •2021 •2020 •2019 •2018 •2017 •2016Virginia elections:2026 •2025 •2024 •2023 •2022 •2021 •2020 •2019 •2018 •2017 •2016	Party control of state governmentState government trifectasState of the state addressesPartisan composition of governors

External links

• Search Google News for this topic
• Office of the Virginia Governor

Footnotes

	v • e State ofVirginia Richmond (capital)
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