Democrat Abigail Spanberger will be the first woman to run the US state of Virginia after winning back the governor’s mansion from Republicans Tuesday, US media projected — in voters’ first verdict on Donald Trump’s return to office.

While the high-profile mayoral contest in New York City grabbed the headlines, the race in Virginia — alongside a gubernatorial election in New Jersey — was seen as offering a sharper critique of Trump 2.0 and a clearer preview of how next year’s midterm elections might play out.

Pitting centrist Democrats against Trump-aligned Republicans, both elections were seen as signaling whether middle-of-the-road voters had made peace with the president’s radical cost-slashing agenda — or plan to give his party a bloody nose in 2026.

Trump has driven a steamroller t

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