RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia is on the verge of making history in 2025 as the state prepares to elect its first female governor, regardless of which candidate wins in November.
Republican candidate Winsome Earle-Sears and Democratic nominee Abigail Spanberger are competing for the governorship, guaranteeing that Virginia will finally remove itself from the list of states that have never elected a woman to their highest office.
"We still have 18 states that have never elected a woman governor, one of those being Virginia," Kelly Dittmar, the Director of Research at the Center for American Women in Politics at Rutgers University, said. "We are all but assured to at least go down by one on that list of states."
In Virginia's more than 400-year history, the Commonwealth has exclusively been led by men, with racial diversity only beginning when former Gov. Doug Wilder became the first Black governor in 1989.
If Earle-Sears wins, she would make history as both Virginia's first female governor and the first Black woman governor in U.S. history. She already broke ground in 2021 when she was elected as Virginia's first Black and female lieutenant governor.
WATCH: Gubernatorial candidates Earle-Sears, Spanberger share plans with voters
The representation of women in politics remains limited nationwide, according to Dittmar's research.
"Across most levels of office, women are at about a third of representation, a little less when it comes to Congress, for example, and even less so when it comes to statewide offices like governor," Dittmar said.
Dittmar emphasizes that increasing female representation matters at all levels of government because the U.S. is a representative democracy whose leaders should reflect its population. She notes that seeing women in positions of power carries symbolic significance for younger generations.
"And then, of course, there's a substantive reason. We know that conversations change, agendas change, and we have research to prove this. When women are in positions of power, it doesn't mean it changes in one singular way, but the diversity of perspectives that women can bring diversifies those agendas," Dittmar said.
WATCH: Candidates clash over the future of education in Virginia
The potential for historic firsts extends beyond the governor's race. In the lieutenant governor contest, Republican John Reid could become Virginia's first openly gay statewide official, while Democratic state Senator Ghazala Hashmi could be the first Muslim and Asian-American in that role.
The Attorney General race also features potential milestones. Republican incumbent Jason Miyares made history when elected in 2021 as the first Latino in that office. His opponent, Jay Jones, could become the first Black person to hold the position if he wins in November.
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