New campaign finance reports show Spanberger with $7 million advantage over Sears in Va. Governor race

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- New campaign finance reports show Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger is outpacing her Republican opponent, Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears. 

According to the Virginia Public Access Project, Spanberger raised over $6.7 million in the first quarter of 2025. Meanwhile, Sears raised over $3.1 million. It’s important to note that state law prohibited Sears, a current statewide official, from receiving campaign contributions during the 45-day General Assembly session in January and February. 

“Abigail Spanberger has a pretty easy story to tell, which is about Democratic enthusiasm,” said Randolph-Macon Political Science Professor Rich Meagher. ”On the other hand, I think Winsome Sears is able to say, look, I’m raising millions of dollars too. It’s not like this is a long-shot campaign with no hope.” 

Spanberger’s haul brings her cash-on-hand advantage to around $7 million. Meagher said that Spanberger’s money edge over Sears could be because Virginia is one of only two states with a governor’s race in 2025. 

“And if an American Democrat in North Carolina or California or North Dakota is mad about what Donald Trump is doing, they can’t do very much about that right now in terms of campaigns, unless they look to Virginia or New Jersey,” Meagher said.

Meagher added that Spanberger is likely to use most of that money on TV and mobile ads. 

“As the funding imbalance gets bigger and bigger, it not only enables Spanberger to tell her own story better than Sears, it enables Spanberger a little lead way to tell a story about Winsome Sears."

Meanwhile, Democratic State Senator Aaron Rouse has the most cash on hand of any candidate running for Lieutenant Governor. In the race for Attorney General, Republican incumbent Jason Miyares has a money advantage over two Democratic challengers.