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USA Today
20-04-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Virginia's 2025 governor race is set. What to know about the high stakes election.
Virginia's 2025 governor race is set. What to know about the high stakes election. Show Caption Hide Caption Fired federal workers speak out about DOGE cuts, fear for economy Community members and former employees rallied near the Bureau of Fiscal Service offices in Parkersburg, West Virginia, after DOGE cut over 125 jobs. A smattering of high-stakes elections so far in 2025 has reignited election fever. Yet the year's banner race is still to come. Voters in Virginia will head to the polls this November to pick a new governor. Former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat, and Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, a Republican, have each already locked down their parties' nominations. The Commonwealth is heralded as a national bellwether, like clockwork every four years. Held in the odd year after the presidential election since 1869, Virginia's gubernatorial race is a cyclical scorecard for voters' moods and the issues at the forefront of the national consciousness. This year, though, 'feels different,' political science professor at Virginia Commonwealth University Alex Keena told USA TODAY. 'There's so much uncertainty,' Keena said, adding, 'The Democrats nationally have this identity crisis. And Republicans too are kind of at a crossroads. The candidates reflect these conflicts.' Erin Restel, a 42-year-old former teacher, was Spanberger's congressional constituent for six years and said Spanberger was the first Democrat she ever voted for. Amid turbulence in both parties, Restel told USA TODAY her former congresswoman offers her some optimism. 'Right now, the Republicans seem to be running on, 'Let's just make Virginia like America and go crazy.' And then you have some Democrats who are ready to like, 'Let's tear it all down because we're so angry,'" Restel said. "(Spanberger) is going to cut through the noise and get stuff done for Virginia.' Democrats expect President Donald Trump and his decisions next door in Washington, including slashes to the federal workforce and economy-threatening tariffs, to cast a shadow on the state's contest, already in full swing. Karl Nichols, 61, voted for Trump in 2024 and for Virginia's Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin in 2021. During Youngkin's campaign four years ago, Nichols, a Republican in Fredericksburg, Virginia, said his wife met Earle-Sears − now they "just love her." "She's got the same mind as the governor," he told USA TODAY. Primaries not needed Spanberger and Earle-Sears can both skip competing in a primary and will instead head straight into the general face-off. Spanberger announced her campaign for governor back in November 2023 and was named her party's official nominee earlier in April after no other candidates filed to run against her in the June Democratic primary. A former CIA officer, Spanberger served three terms in Congress as a representative for the state's 7th Congressional District, spanning parts of central and northern Virginia. She was the first Democrat to represent the district, redrawn after her second term, since 1970, and while in the House, she honed her reputation as a centrist. She faces Earle-Sears, currently second in the gubernatorial line of succession, who announced her campaign last September. Earle-Sears was elected lieutenant governor in 2021, alongside Youngkin. Two GOP contenders had mounted campaigns to challenge Earle-Sears for the nomination, but both fell short of getting the required number of signatures to make the ballot. Why isn't Glenn Youngkin running again? Simply put, he can't. At least not this year. Virginia law bars any governor from serving back-to-back terms, and it is the only state with such a rule. Youngkin, about to wrap up his first four years in the governor's mansion, would be able to come back and run for a second term in 2029, if he wanted. Seven months to Election Day. A year and half to midterms. Election Day in Virginia is Nov. 4, 2025. And with both parties' primaries rendered unnecessary, the state is gearing up for a prolonged general. 'Tons of commercials, tons of flyers and spending,' Keena said, 'and people will probably get tired of it by the time we get to November.' Even before nominations were officially set, Earle-Sears appeared locked in on Spanberger, penning a steady stream of social media posts calling out the Democrat by name. 'The stakes in this race couldn't be higher,' Earle-Sears said in a statement. 'We've delivered important progress over the past four years, and we still have so much more to do.' Nationally, Republicans hope to build on their momentum coming out of a successful 2024, while Democrats in need of good news will be watching Spanberger expectantly. Historically, the party that loses the presidential race tends to fare better the following year in Virginia. The outcome between the two candidates in the Commonwealth is not the only thing of national interest, though. Virginia's elections have also served as a barometer for the hot-button issues shaping swing voters' decisions. In September 2021, a flashpoint in Youngkin's race against former Gov. Terry McAuliffe came when the Democratic nominee answered, 'I don't think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.' Youngkin made that moment and critical race theory, or the teaching of diversity, equity and inclusion, focal points in the final sprint of his campaign. A year later, those same social issues were potent in the 2022 midterm elections. Trump's shadow over Virginia race Already looming are moves by the president to shrink the federal government – a major employer in Virginia – and escalating trade war that is raising concerns about a recession. Spearheaded by the president's billionaire ally Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency, the Trump administration has laid off tens of thousands of federal workers from various agencies and departments since the start of his second term, in a purported effort to curb government spending. The cuts stand to have an outsized impact in Virginia, neighbor to the nation's capital and home to over 140,000 federal employees at the end of 2024. Spanberger's campaign said she has been hearing from voters on the campaign trail about the issue, along with Trump's tariff-incited global trade war. 'Virginia families are struggling to keep up with high prices, and imposing hundreds of billions of dollars in new tariffs will not lower costs,' Spanberger said in a statement. 'Virginians deserve certainty, not chaos.' Democrats in the state have banked on anti-Trump sentiment before, crediting the presidential backlash for Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam's win in 2017. However, Keena said that strategy may not be as effective this time around. 'People are kind of getting tired of that,' he said. 'They want an alternative that isn't just about fear of Trump.' History made in 2025 Regardless of which party's nominee wins in November, Virginia will have its first female governor. If Earle-Sears win, the country will have its first Black female governor. Yet neither candidate is calling much attention to that fact. 'To me that's a sign of incredible progress, that it's kind of just a normal thing,' Keena said. 'But I also think there's strategic reasons why none of them really want to make that the focus of the race,' he added. 'Spanberger doesn't really have an advantage in that particular aspect, and I think Sears probably wouldn't want to have the race be too much about her race.' Four years ago, Earle-Sears became Virginia's first female lieutenant governor, as well as the first woman of color elected to statewide office in the Commonwealth. As the state and race garners national attention for a variety of reasons, Earle-Sears said she is staying focused on the ground game. "In the Marines we learned to stay laser focused on our mission, and so I'm not going to be distracted by political punditry," the lieutenant governor said in a statement to USA TODAY. "The energy and attention I'm focused on is from the overwhelming number of Virginia families, businesses, and workers who want to keep our Commonwealth moving in the right direction." Fundraising records surpassed on both sides Both campaigns have boasted record-breaking fundraising, and each are touting what it means for their grassroots support. Spanberger's campaign has raked in $6.7 million since the start of the year, the largest haul of any statewide candidate in Virginia in the first quarter of an election year, according to the campaign. More than 90% of those contributions were amounts of $100 or less, the campaign said. Also in April, Earle-Sears announced a $3.1 million dollar intake in 2025. Her campaign said the amount is a fundraising record, excluding self-funding, for any GOP gubernatorial candidate in Virginia. Youngkin in 2021 raised $2.2 million in contributions, but the millionaire investor bolstered his war chest with $5.5million of his own money, according to the Virginia Department of Elections. What are polls already saying? A handful of early statewide polls show Spanberger holding a slight advantage over Earle-Sears. Spanberger was ahead by 5 points in Christopher Newport University poll in January. At the time, 16% of those polled said they were undecided. In another survey, by Roanoke College in February, Spanberger's lead was even greater, 15 points above Earle-Sears. However, a third of registered voters said they had not settled on a candidate yet. The tilt towards Spanberger may be a product of greater name recognition, Keena said, and with several months to go, the door is open for either candidate.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
‘MAGA junkie' fired from government job now regrets voting for Trump
A self-described 'MAGA junkie' says she regrets voting for Donald Trump after she was fired from her job in the federal government. Jennifer Piggott of West Virginia told CNN she was one of 125 probationary employees fired from the Treasury Department's Bureau of Fiscal Service last month as part of Trump's efforts to downsize the federal government. Piggott is a self-described 'MAGA junkie' who voted for Trump three times — but has since lost faith in the Republican. 'I cried. It's scary, it's a really scary thing,' she said. 'I was embarrassed.' When CNN asked if she regretted voting for the president, Piggott responded: 'Yes, I do.' 'To cut the knees off the working-class Americans just doesn't make sense to me,' she continued. 'I expected more from President Donald Trump.' According to recent court filings, Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency has fired at least 24,000 federal probationary employees. A federal judge has ruled that DOGE fired at least 16,000 of these employees illegally, but the Trump administration is appealing the decision to the Supreme Court. Piggott said she was fired over poor performance, despite getting the 'highest rating' on a performance review less than three weeks before she was let go. She told Reuters that other voters she knows also didn't expect this level of 'devastation.' "Nobody that I've talked to understood the devastation that having this administration in office would do to our lives," Piggott said. "As much as I think that President Trump is doing wonderful things for the country in some regards, I don't understand this at all.' White House spokesperson Harrison Fields defended the firings to Reuters, claiming Trump has been given a popular mandate to carry out the mass layoffs. "The personal financial situation of every American is top of mind for the president, which is why he's working to cut regulations, reshore jobs, lower taxes, and make government more efficient," Fields said. CNN spoke to another Bureau of Fiscal Service employee who recently retired over fears she would lose her benefits if she were fired as part of the Trump administration's downsizing efforts. The unnamed employee also voted for the president. When CNN asked if she would have supported Trump knowing what he would do, she responded: 'I'm not sure I would have.' 'The way that it's been done — I'm for balancing the budget, that type of thing, but not in this context,' she said. 'It's just not right.' Piggott says Trump is 'creating a disaster,' and she doesn't know 'what America is going to look like if this continues.' 'I expected that you would do what was right and cut waste and fraud and all of those things that you promised us before we elected you in office,' she told CNN. 'But you're not doing that.' The Independent has contacted the Bureau of Fiscal Service for comment.
The Independent
28-03-2025
- Business
- The Independent
‘MAGA junkie' fired from government job now regrets voting for Trump
A self-described 'MAGA junkie' says she regrets voting for Donald Trump after she was fired from her job in the federal government. Jennifer Piggott of West Virginia told CNN she was one of 125 probationary employees fired from the Treasury Department 's Bureau of Fiscal Service last month as part of Trump's efforts to downsize the federal government. Piggott is a self-described 'MAGA junkie' who voted for Trump three times — but has since lost faith in the Republican. 'I cried. It's scary, it's a really scary thing,' she said. 'I was embarrassed.' When CNN asked if she regretted voting for the president, Piggott responded: 'Yes, I do.' 'To cut the knees off the working-class Americans just doesn't make sense to me,' she continued. 'I expected more from President Donald Trump.' According to recent court filings, Elon Musk 's Department of Government Efficiency has fired at least 24,000 federal probationary employees. A federal judge has ruled that DOGE fired at least 16,000 of these employees illegally, but the Trump administration is appealing the decision to the Supreme Court. Piggott said she was fired over poor performance, despite getting the 'highest rating' on a performance review less than three weeks before she was let go. She told Reuters that other voters she knows also didn't expect this level of 'devastation.' "Nobody that I've talked to understood the devastation that having this administration in office would do to our lives," Piggott said. "As much as I think that President Trump is doing wonderful things for the country in some regards, I don't understand this at all.' White House spokesperson Harrison Fields defended the firings to Reuters, claiming Trump has been given a popular mandate to carry out the mass layoffs. "The personal financial situation of every American is top of mind for the president, which is why he's working to cut regulations, reshore jobs, lower taxes, and make government more efficient," Fields said. CNN spoke to another Bureau of Fiscal Service employee who recently retired over fears she would lose her benefits if she were fired as part of the Trump administration's downsizing efforts. The unnamed employee also voted for the president. When CNN asked if she would have supported Trump knowing what he would do, she responded: 'I'm not sure I would have.' 'The way that it's been done — I'm for balancing the budget, that type of thing, but not in this context,' she said. 'It's just not right.' Piggott says Trump is 'creating a disaster,' and she doesn't know 'what America is going to look like if this continues.' 'I expected that you would do what was right and cut waste and fraud and all of those things that you promised us before we elected you in office,' she told CNN. 'But you're not doing that.'
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘MAGA Junkie' Fired in DOGE Cuts Now Regrets Voting for Trump: ‘I Expected Better'
A self-confessed 'MAGA junkie' from a red-voting city devastated by Department of Government Efficiency firings has said she regrets voting for Donald Trump. In the lead-up to the election in November last year, Jennifer Piggott, from Parkersburg, West Virginia, flew a Trump flag outside her house. She was not the only one; her community in Wood County voted overwhelmingly for the Republican candidate, who scooped 70 percent of the votes in the area. But just weeks into Trump 2.0, the president let Piggott and others like her down by firing 125 probationary civil service workers. The Treasury Department's Bureau of Fiscal Service—which effectively acts as the government's day-to-day bank—was gutted, and so was Piggott. Speaking to CNN Live in a broadcast shown Thursday, Pigott said she cried after she was axed. 'I was a MAGA junkie, a MAGA junkie who thought her government job would be safe with Donald Trump in office. I cried. It's scary, you know, it's a really scary thing, and I was embarrassed,' she said. Piggott and her colleagues were let go based on alleged poor performance. But in her final review just 21 days before she was axed, Pigott, who has voted for Trump in the last three elections, got 'the highest rating you can get on review,' she told CNN. She added that she now 'regrets' voting for Trump. 'To cut the knees out of the working-class Americans just doesn't make sense to me. I expected more from President Donald Trump,' she said. Her woes have not stopped. Pigott, who has spoken to the national press about the issue before, has been targeted by vandals and has even received death threats since speaking out. 'I expected better from you. I really did,' Pigott said, when asked what she would say to Trump if she got the chance. 'I expected that you would do what was right and cut waste and fraud and all of those things that you promised us before we elected you in office, but you're not doing that—you're creating a disaster and I don't know what America is gonna look like if this continues.' CNN spoke to a second woman, afraid to reveal her identity for fear of retribution, who retired from the Bureau of Fiscal Service because she feared losing her health insurance if she was axed. 'I'm not sure that I would have [voted for Trump], and the way that it's been done... I'm for balancing the budget, that type of thing, but not, not in this context, it's just not right,' she said. The Bureau employs some 2,000 people in the city of 29,000. Earlier this month, a federal judge stood in the way of the spate of firings—ordering agencies, including the Bureau of Fiscal Service, to give fired probationary employees their jobs back. However, the Trump administration took the matter to the Supreme Court this week, asking it to overrule the federal decision. The 125 fired individuals, like thousands of other federal workers, are now in limbo, on paid leave.
USA Today
25-03-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Government agency to review health and safety effects of Trump's mass firings
Government agency to review health and safety effects of Trump's mass firings Show Caption Hide Caption Fired federal workers speak out about DOGE cuts, fear for economy Community members and former employees rallied near the Bureau of Fiscal Service offices in Parkersburg, West Virginia, after DOGE cut over 125 jobs. WASHINGTON – An independent government watchdog agency will probe how President Donald Trump's mass firings of early-tenure employees affect air travel, the spread of diseases, nuclear safety, food safety, veterans health care, the opioid epidemic, and the ability to respond to floods and wildfires. The Government Accountability Office, a nonpartisan watchdog agency that investigates, audits, and evaluates government operations for Congress, said it would open the investigation in response to a March 6 request from a group of 11 Democrats, led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren. States, workers, unions, nonprofits, and an independent watchdog have all brought legal challenges to the Trump administration's firings of tens of thousands of federal employees in their probationary periods, and federal judges have reinstated many. But little information is available about the downstream effects of having fewer workers. "Rather than make government more efficient, these firings appear to have created massive inefficiencies and put the American people at risk," the Democratic senators wrote. They called the Trump administration's approach "indiscriminate" and pointed to their attempts to rehire nuclear safety and food safety workers after the firings. The Democratic senators pointed to attempts to fire workers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Federal Aviation Administration and a mental health agency, among others. White House spokesperson Harrison Fields told USA TODAY in February: "President Trump returned to Washington with a mandate from the American people to bring about unprecedented change in our federal government to uproot waste, fraud, and abuse." He added, "This isn't easy to do in a broken system entrenched in bureaucracy and bloat, but it's a task long overdue." The GAO wrote in its letter that it would check with inspectors general, independent watchdogs who work in executive branch agencies, to see if it was duplicating efforts. Trump fired 17 inspectors general in the first week of his presidency, according to Reuters. Trump's mass federal workforce cuts: What has happened so far. Contributing: Dinah Voyles Pulver, Joey Garrison, Zac Anderson, and Terry Collins, USA TODAY
