News Alert: Democrat Abigail Spanberger is elected Virginia’s first female governor, CNN projects

Abigail Spanberger, a former Democratic congresswoman and CIA officer, will be elected Virginia’s next governor and become the state’s first female chief executive, CNN’s Decision Desk projects.

She beat Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears after running a campaign focused on affordability and addressing local concerns about the impact of federal job cuts and the government shutdown on a state with more than 300,000 US government employees. Spanberger also frequently tied Earle-Sears to President Donald Trump, labeling the Republican as a Trump acolyte even though the president didn’t endorse her.