Electoral Targets:

• Governor: Flip the open seat by electing Abigail Spanberger (D).
• Lieutenant Governor: Flip the open seat by electing Ghazala Hashmi (D).
• Attorney General: Flip the incumbent-held seat by electing Jay Jones (D).
• House of Delegates: Increase Democrats’ 51-49 majority in the state’s lower legislative chamber by 1) protecting frontline incumbents and 2) flipping 3-5 seats lost by 1-2% in 2023.

Executive Officials: The Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Attorney General all play a critical role in advancing policy priorities and maintaining legal continuity on key issues. 

House of Delegates: Following a special election in early 2025, Democrats preserved their majority in both chambers of the General Assembly, marking an important foundation for the work ahead. In November, every one of the 100 seats in the House of Delegates is on the ballot. MVP partners have a clear path to both defending key races and flipping at least three competitive seats, giving us the chance to maintain or expand a progressive majority in the chamber. (State Senators are elected every four years and are not on the ballot this year; Democrats hold a 21-19 majority in the Senate.)

This year’s election outcomes will have implications far beyond 2025. They could shape the trajectory of state policy for years ahead, and preview broader political trends leading into 2026 and beyond. 

1. National Democratic momentum: As one of only two states with a competitive gubernatorial race in this odd-numbered year, Virginia is a pivotal starting point for reversing the gains made by the far right and building momentum for the 2026 midterm elections. 
2. State-level progressive policy breakthroughs: A Democratic trifecta would open the door to finally delivering long-term policy victories, particularly three major constitutional amendments passed by the state legislature in 2025: protecting abortion access, automatically restoring voting rights, and ensuring marriage equality. Crucially, the newly elected 2026 legislature must pass these amendments again before they appear on the ballot for a statewide vote, where a majority of voters must approve them to become part of the Virginia Constitution.

MVP’s vision of success for this electoral cycle is for our partners to deepen their alignment and strategic focus around shared goals and messaging — laying the foundation for durable, independent political power in the state. In 2025, MVP’s grantmaking priorities are to support partners to: 

1. Expand the Base: Strengthen voter engagement and turnout among communities of color and Black voters in progressive stronghold counties, while expanding long-term, power-building infrastructure in rural BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) communities, particularly in target districts for the House of Delegates. 
2. Maximize Collaboration: Strengthen strategic coordination and alignment across the organizations that make up the state’s “progressive ecosystem.”
3. Deliver the Votes: Run robust electoral programs that definitively tip the scales in all three major statewide offices  — Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Attorney General — as well as key districts needed to sustain and expand a progressive majority in the House of Delegates.
4. Co-Create the Agenda: Articulate a unified vision and policy agenda and set the stage for co-governance relationships with Democratic candidates, in which they are willing to champion bold and broadly popular policy agendas once elected.

MVP partners have a crucial role in meeting this key electoral moment — because they are grounded in trust, community presence, and the ability to cut through voter fatigue and despair through sustained, people-centered engagement.

Democratic Nominee: Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger 

Strengths

• Name recognition: Spanberger has the highest name ID of any state Democratic candidate. 
• Robust fundraising: She has built a strong fundraising network.

Areas of Growth

• Voter demographics: While she is popular among moderate suburban voters, she has shown weakness with younger voters, voters from immigrant communities, and Black voters. 

Strategic Outlook

• Centrist posture: She may be mulling a Presidential run, which could lead to a more centrist positioning. MVP partners can help embolden her on issues like the economy and immigration.
• Campaign strategy and coordination: MVP partners are endeavoring to find synergy between their year-round grassroots organizing approaches and the Democratic Party’s more traditional electoral campaign methods. Despite past siloing of these lanes of work, coordination is reportedly going well thanks to regular alignment meetings convened by MVP’s 501(c)(4) grantee partner, Virginia Coalition for Progressive Values. 
• Ripple effects of a win: A Spanberger victory could create an opening for more progressive candidates to win other races, such as for Lieutenant Governor and the House of Delegates. 
• A bulwark against MAGA: A win would allow Virginia to mitigate the harm of the Trump administration, especially around federal layoffs, continued intimidation and attacks on immigrant communities, and the election administration directives heading toward 2028.

Republican Nominee: Winsome Sears 

• Sears serves as Virginia’s current Lieutenant Governor, and the first Black woman elected to Virginia statewide office.
• She lacks strong backing from her own party’s state and national establishment. In August, Trump suggested he would support Sears, but he has not announced an official endorsement. 
• Her campaign shows signs of financial strain, with expenses outpacing revenue in Quarter 2.

In June 2025, Ghazala Hashmi won a crowded Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor against five other candidates: Alex Bastani, Babur Lateef, Aaron Rouse, Victor Salgado, and Levar Stoney. Her victory is historic: she is poised to become the first Muslim woman to win statewide office in Virginia. 

MVP partners view her as an invaluable leader, noting her strong legislative record and collaborative partnership with advocacy groups. While Democrats currently hold the majority in the state Senate, members are not always aligned with grassroots partners when it comes to policy issues or values. 

Electing Ghazala Hashmi as Lieutenant Governor is crucial because her role would serve as an essential tie-breaking legislative vote, ensuring that key policies are introduced and passed. 

The Attorney General’s race is arguably the most vulnerable on the Democratic ticket this November. In the primary, Jay Jones — a young Black civil rights attorney serving in the House of Delegates — successfully defeated Shannon Taylor. Taylor faced significant criticism and mistrust due to her acceptance of $650,000 from Dominion Energy and her complicated history with law enforcement.

Jones now challenges incumbent Jason Miyares (R), Virginia's first Latino Attorney General, who flipped the seat by a narrow margin in 2021. Miyares currently holds a massive financial advantage, with $7 million cash-on-hand — outraising even the Lieutenant Governor.

All 100 seats in the House of Delegates are up for election in 2025. To expand the Democratic majority, MVP partners are targeting four priority districts that were lost within 1,000 votes in 2023. 

Due to limited resources and infrastructure, MVP partners cannot compete effectively across the entire state. For that reason, they have implemented a strategic and coordinated approach, prioritizing specific cities and counties where they have built strong community engagement. These priority districts are in areas with a high concentration of BIPOC voters, with turnout significantly below the statewide average in 2021, 2023, and 2024. Our partners are focused on two objectives:

1. Protect Frontline Incumbents who have been critical allies in advancing legislative priorities. 
2. Flip Swing Districts: There are five districts where the Democratic candidate came within one or two points of winning in 2023. These near-misses, combined with rapid population growth and demographic change, signal a significant opportunity. In these areas, our partners already have the base, infrastructure, and capacity to secure victory.

The graphic below illustrates the comprehensive “state ecosystem” in Virginia. This includes key elements such as state infrastructure tables and conveners, in-state funders, and MVP local partners. 

In the current electoral cycle, MVP's primary focus has been resourcing our largest base-building and field partners — New Virginia Majority, CASA in Action, and UNITE HERE — to coordinate expanded field work for critical statewide races and targeted House Districts. 

Beyond those efforts, MVP partners are also leading specialized constituency engagement: NextGen and the Virginia Student Power Network are mobilizing students and young people on college campuses; Equality Virginia is organizing "Pride to the Polls" and launching digital outreach via dating apps; HAMKAE Center is boosting AAPI and immigrant community turnout; and We The People for Education is engaging voters in crucial school board races nested within key House Districts.

A mapping of organizations comprising the Virginia state ecosystem

* Unite Here and NextGen are highlighted in purple because, although they are considered national organizations, they have dedicated full-time organizers in Virginia and have been operating in the state since at least 2021.

Following setbacks in 2021, our coalition of Virginia partner organizations conducted a thorough internal assessment. 

While acknowledging external challenges, leaders recognized they had fallen short in areas they could control: internal cohesion and clarity of mission. The lingering effects of the pandemic, staff transitions, and rapid growth had strained the personal bonds critical to the coalition's strength. 

In response, partners made intentional, concerted efforts to rebuild those relationships and strategic alignment. This renewed internal cohesion translated directly into electoral victories in 2022, 2023, and a series of wins in special elections in early 2025. 

To sustain this momentum, MVP is supporting the Virginia Coalition for Progressive Values, the state’s primary C4 “table,” to convene regular in-person meetings and state meetings. 

Through these efforts, partners have established working groups and strategic meetings to effectively assess gaps and develop fully coordinated field and digital strategies.

Door-to-door canvassing remains the cornerstone of partners’ collective field strategy and represents the largest budget commitment. Partners are executing a sophisticated, coordinated plan, including:

1. Geographic Division of Labor: Groups are claiming precincts based on organizational capacity, specific electoral goals, and long-term base-building priorities.
2. Layered Programs: Partners are strategically layering complementary turnout efforts in key districts — an approach proven highly effective in 2023 key races — to maximize impact.
3. Real-Time Data Transparency: All district assignments and outreach data are tracked in a shared system. This transparency allows partners to monitor “universe penetration” (the extent to which target voters have been contacted), contact rates, and survey responses in real time, enabling immediate adjustments to assignments and voter universes as needed.
4. Weekly Alignment: Partners meet weekly for regional coordination calls to align field plans, prevent oversaturation in certain areas, ensure critical precincts are covered, and maintain seamless messaging consistency across the state.

This year brings significant changes from the 2021 electoral landscape, including same-day voter registration and policies that registrars are still adjusting to, which include processes that require both voter education and institutional support.

In response to these changes, MVP is supporting coordinated election protection support facilitated by the Virginia Civic Engagement Table (VCET). Their program integrates legal advocacy, community outreach, and strategic communications to respond to emerging threats while strengthening trust in the electoral process. Their priorities include: 

Voter Education & Information Security

• Expand multilingual education on mail-in voting, voting machines, and same-day registration, utilizing all media channels (radio, social, church bulletins, etc).
• Counter misinformation and disinformation.
• Provide accessible voting materials for partners and utilize hotlines for rural communities.

Election Monitoring & Rapid Response

• Deploy nonpartisan legal advocates and poll monitors via a centralized legal program.
• Prepare protocols for responding to potential federal or ICE presence and train advocates in de-escalation.
• Maintain transparency with registrars by notifying them of monitoring presence and offering resources.

Targeted Mobilization & Capacity Building:

• Use the VCET hub for centralized volunteer recruitment, training, and rapid response.
• Partner with GetThru for targeted textbanking to BIPOC, immigrant, and student communities.
• Re-engage voters purged for inactivity through direct outreach and partner mailers.
• Support local partners with resources for education and mobilization.
• Map volunteer presence to strategically fill coverage gaps with digital ads and outreach.

MVP Partisan Funding in 2025: $157,500 • Current Gap: $60,000 • Read their 2025 Plan →

Founded in 2007, New Virginia Majority works to create a powerful multi-issue, multi-racial movement to transform Virginia through large-scale civic engagement, issue advocacy, community organizing, and strategic communications. 

Their programs strategically target areas in Northern Virginia, Central Virginia, and Hampton Roads — regions with the state's largest populations of color. Specifically, they operate in the following localities: Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Prince William, Loudoun, Richmond, Chesterfield, Henrico, Newport News, Norfolk, Hampton, and Virginia Beach. Their voter universe is composed of working-class and low-income individuals, including African American, Latiné, and Asian American & Pacific Islander communities, as well as immigrants, youth, the elderly, and families across Virginia. Projects implemented this year ahead of the fall elections: 

CousinzCon & Cousinz Festival: NVM organized this two-day civic engagement and culture-forward event in partnership with JustUS Ideas to build community power and voter turnout that blends music, art, and culture with the urgency of organizing, advocacy, and civic participation. Organized in Norfolk, Virginia, a city in the southeastern part of the state with a high percentage of Black voters, this event sought to build a much-needed foundation of Black organizing infrastructure and trust within Norfolk, especially among new voters who may be skeptical of traditional political groups. On the first day of the event, 1,500 participants were trained on the Empower relational organizing mobile app and immediately integrated into the New Virginia Majority's ongoing election campaign. On the second day, an estimated 15,000 people attended the festival, where dedicated stations facilitated voter registration and pledge-to-vote sign-ups via QR codes. This marked the first time the organizers implemented a targeted influencer strategy, successfully combining local and national voices to achieve broad reach while maintaining community authenticity.

Field Expansion in Northern VA (blue cities): Current polling indicates that Democratic Gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger is performing strongly against Winsome Sears. To support similar success for down-ballot statewide candidates Ghazala Hashmi and Jay Jones, partners have identified a critical need to intensify coordinated efforts within dense Democratic areas like Arlington and Alexandria. At the end of August 2025, MVP moved a $50,000 grant to New Virginia Majority to help them knock on an additional 25,000 doors, specifically integrating messaging to boost support for Jones and Hashmi.

MVP Partisan Funding in 2025: $135,000 • Current Gap: $75,000 • Read their 2025 Plan →

CASA in Action is implementing a comprehensive voter contact strategy — combining ground operations and communications — to engage, persuade, and mobilize working-class Black, Latiné, Afro-descendent, Indigenous, and naturalized immigrant voters. 

In 2025, their goal is to knock 70,000 doors, targeting infrequent and occasional voters in Fairfax, Norfolk, Prince William, Stafford, and VA Beach counties to boost Black and Latine turnout compared to previous off-year elections. They are targeting key districts and precincts with high concentrations of Black and Latine "super voters,” including HD-21, HD-22, HD-65, HD-94, and HD-97. 

Their messaging strategy involves two components: (1) Tailored progressive messaging with a focus on Latina and Black women; and (2) Targeted, issue-based messaging for moderate Latine and Black voters who are undecided or lean Republican. This issue-based communication will highlight Governor Youngkin's anti-working-class, anti-immigrant, and anti-family policies, arguing that a Democratic administration is necessary to initiate change. Finally, CASA in Action will actively recruit the voters they contact to become members or allies, adding to their current statewide base of 9,000 members. Stories of voters they have engaged through their deep canvassing program: 

• Monica: “We accidentally knocked on the wrong door and ended up meeting Monica, who wasn’t on our list but was more than happy to talk. Monica lives with her four siblings and told us how hard it’s been to imagine moving out on her own with how high rent and housing prices have gotten. She said she’s glad we’re out here knocking and raising awareness because it gives her hope that maybe one day she’ll be able to afford a house of her own. She said young people like her need change, and it feels good to know someone is out here fighting for it.” 
• Doris: “Doris embodies people power. Though he identifies as very conservative, he strongly supports rent stabilization, believing it’s key to protecting working families from being priced out of their homes. He shared that rent has risen too fast in recent years, making it harder for people to build stable lives. His story is a reminder that housing concerns cut across political lines — and that we can find common ground to protect our communities.”

Update: HD-64 (Suffolk) is becoming a critical priority. While the Democratic candidate is still favored, the race is tightening, demanding immediate intervention to protect this seat. CASA in Action is uniquely positioned with the strongest local infrastructure and proven ability to quickly scale operations. This district is also key to boosting turnout for statewide candidates like Ghazala Hashmi and Jay Jones, who underperformed here during their primaries. Supporting CASA in Action offers a dual opportunity: securing HD-64 and maximizing critical statewide votes.

MVP Partisan Funding in 2025: $140,000 • Current Gap: $65,000 • Read their 2025 Plan →

UNITE HERE Virginia has 8,000 members who are primarily focused on organizing non-union workers, especially those in the hospitality industry. While membership in Northern Virginia is racially diverse, the rest of their membership is overwhelmingly Black.

For the Fall 2025 elections, they will focus their door-knocking campaign in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia. Building on their success of knocking over 600,000 doors since 2021 to help elect Democrats, the union is committing to 60,000 doors in 2025, at a budget of $600,000. 

This area is strategically vital for Democrats to defend and expand the House of Delegates majority, particularly by motivating voters in working-class communities of color where Democratic field capacity is often weak. The union is uniquely equipped for this task due to its experienced, primarily Black union leaders who have successfully managed multiple cycles of electoral canvassing. 

Field efforts will concentrate on the Hampton Roads region, targeting two critical defense seats (HD-97 and HD-84) and a closely adjacent pickup opportunity in HD-89. A dedicated team will also canvas HD-71, a pickup opportunity where the organization benefits from a strong local membership base near Williamsburg. Within HD-97, specifically, the team will focus on 12 precincts (representing 9,800 doors) that have a majority of Black and Latiné voters.

Update: Recent polling shared by our partners in mid-September indicates that HD-86 and HD-69, which contain high numbers of undecided and Black voters, are more winnable than previously thought (they were initially lower-tier target races). With additional funding, UNITE HERE VA is uniquely positioned to scale up its efforts in these districts, making these districts their likely focus until Election Day and allowing them to surpass their 60,000-door goal.