Democrat Abigail Spanberger holds a 7-point lead over Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears in Virginia’s 2025 governor’s race, according to a new Commonwealth Poll released Tuesday by the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University.

The survey, conducted Oct. 6-14, shows Spanberger leading Earle-Sears 49% to 42% among registered voters — down from a 9-point margin reported in the school’s September poll conducted in August. Spanberger also holds an 11-point advantage among independent voters, 35% to 24%, though 20% remain undecided.

The poll, which offers a snapshot of voter sentiment heading into the final stretch before the Nov. 4 election, found that all three statewide races have tightened since late summer.

In the lieutenant gove

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