City of Portsmouth

This election will be held on November 4, 2025. Republican incumbent Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears and former Democratic US Representative Abigail Spanberger will face each other in the general election for Governor of Virginia.

The Democratic nominee for Governor, Abigail Spanberger actually fights to expand healthcare and reproductive freedom instead of rolling over when conservatives threaten to restrict abortion rights. She’s committed to investing in clean energy, holding polluters accountable, and reducing energy costs for working families. Her gun-safety agenda goes far beyond “thoughts and prayers,” taking on the NRA head-on instead of cashing their donation checks. Spanberger’s pragmatic progressive vision gives suburban moderates and left-leaners tired of corporate centrism and culture-war theatrics a real reason to show up.

The Opposition

The Republican nominee for Governor, Winsome Earle-Sears is all about slashing taxes for big corporations while telling unemployed workers that losing a job is “no big deal.” She grandstands against critical race theory and “woke” classrooms to score culture-war points instead of tackling real education challenges. By waving her Marine Corps credentials, she sells herself as the ultimate tough-on-crime candidate, conveniently ignoring how lax gun laws endanger communities. Her true believers are MAGA zealots who think banning books, rolling back reproductive freedoms, and erasing civil liberties are more important than looking out for working families.

Recommendation

Due to her advocacy for abortion access, gun violence prevention, and clean energy, Abigail Spanberger is the progressive candidate in this race.

This election will be held on November 4, 2025. Democratic Virginia State Senator Ghazala Hashmi and Republican John Reid will face each other in the general election for Lt. Governor of Virginia.

The Democratic nominee for Lt. Governor, Ghazala Hashmi is fighting to pump real money into public schools instead of the right’s perennial budget cuts and culture-war book bans. She defends reproductive freedom and Medicaid expansion for working families while conservatives keep dialing back healthcare access and waving anti-abortion placards. Her clean-energy agenda and environmental-justice bills actually target polluters, not the customary GOP handouts to pipeline lobbyists. Dreamers, suburban progressives fed up with partisan hijinks, and anyone who’d trade culture-war theatrics for equity and opportunity will cheer her unapologetic stand for Virginia’s working families.

The Opposition

The Republican nominee for Lt. Governor, John Reid is a self-styled small-government crusader who’ll happily cut taxes for wealthy donors while pretending he’s doing the same for working Virginians. He rails against “woke” curriculum and critical race theory, because apparently teaching actual American history is more offensive to him than runaway inequality. He touts law-and-order credentials and celebrity as a conservative radio host, hawking gun rights like they’re the ultimate public-safety strategy. He even plans to torpedo constitutional protections for same-sex marriage, proving that an openly gay candidate will stab his own community in the back for party unity, the perfect pick for culture-war diehards who prefer corporate giveaways to real solutions for working families.

Recommendation

Due to her advocacy for public education, abortion access, and environmental justice, Ghazala Hashmi is the progressive candidate in this race.

This election will be held on November 4, 2025. Incumbent Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares faces a challenge from former Democratic Virginia State Delegate Jay Jones.

The Democratic nominee for Attorney General, Jay Jones has pledged to sue the Trump administration every time it infringes on the rights of Virginians. He’s secured victories for abortion access, expanded Medicaid to cover thousands more Virginians, and even wrote anti-price-gouging measures to keep corporate vultures in check. His public-safety plan pairs smart gun-violence prevention and community-based crime interventions rather than recycling the right’s tired “lock ’em up” mantra for political ads. Grassroots progressives, consumer-rights advocates, and anyone sick of endless culture-war stunts will line up behind a candidate who actually puts families over fear-mongering theatrics.

The Opposition

Incumbent Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares cozies up to ICE, shaming local authorities who don’t cooperate with Trump’s policies of mass deportation, because terrorizing immigrant families is apparently his idea of due process. He grandstands on opioid crackdowns but turns a blind eye to corporate-friendly loopholes that keep the drug pipeline flowing. He bills himself as a federalism champion when suing Washington over environmental rules, conveniently ignoring states’ rights whenever big donors flash a check. His true believers are tough-on-crime zealots who think more ICE raids, harsher sentencing, and tax cuts for the wealthy are the pinnacle of compassionate governance.

Recommendation

Due to his advocacy for abortion access, gun violence prevention, and Medicaid coverage, Jay Jones is the progressive candidate in this race.

Virginia’s new 88th House of Delegates district encompasses parts of Portsmouth City. With almost 60,000 registered voters, this district leans strongly Democratic.

This election will be held on November 4, 2025. Incumbent Democratic House Speaker Don Scott is running for reelection unopposed in HD-88.

Virginia's House District 88 is entirely located within the City of Portsmouth. In the 2024 election it remained strongly Democratic by double-digit margins.

Don Scott is the Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates and represents District 88 since January 2024. A former U.S. Navy officer and lawyer, he serves as a partner at a prominent law firm. His leadership is shaped by personal transformation and overcoming adversity—having spent several years in federal prison before being pardoned in 2025. A champion for education, healthcare, criminal justice reform, and equitable governance, Scott became Virginia’s first Black Speaker in 2024.
Committee Assignments: House Leader, Rules (Chair; Joint Rules Subcommittee Chair)

Constitutional Amendments
- Co-sponsored a Constitutional Amendment to enshrine abortion rights
- Co-sponsored a Constitutional Amendment to restore voting rights to returning citizens
- Co-sponsored a Constitutional Amendment to enshrine equal marriage rights

Education
- Voted to raise teacher pay to the national average
- Voted to increase protections and support for cyberbullying
- Voted to authorize public colleges and universities to prohibit guns on school property
- Voted against a“forced outing” bill targeting transgender students

Economy and Inflation
- Voted to increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2027
- Voted to establish paid family and medical leave
- Voted to repeal prohibitions on collective bargaining for public employees
- Voted to establish regulatory bodies for the cannabis industry in Virginia
- Voted to establish frameworks to preserve local housing
- Voted to establish the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act

Health and Human Services
- Voted to establish a Prescription Drug Affordability Board
- Voted to establish the right to access and use FDA-approved birth control
- Voted to require health insurance plans to cover birth control

Other Issues
- Voted to establish regulations for “high-risk” AI
- Voted against authorizing Ranked Choice Voting for certain local elections
- Voted to prohibit the manufacture, sale, and possession of assault-style weapons

Recommendation

This is an uncontested race. Based on his history of advocating for workers' rights, abortion access, and tenants' rights, Leader Don Scott is a progressive candidate.

Virginia’s new 91st House of Delegates district encompasses parts of Chesapeake City and parts of Portsmouth City. With almost 60,000 registered voters, this district leans strongly Democratic.

This election will be held on November 4, 2025. Incumbent Democratic Delegate Cliff Hayes is running for reelection unopposed in HD-91.

Virginia's House District 91 spans portions of the cities of Chesapeake and Portsmouth. Inthe 2024 election it remained strongly Democratic by comfortable double-digit margins.

Incumbent Democratic Delegate C. E. “Cliff” Hayes Jr. has served in the House of Delegates since 2016. A lifelong Chesapeake resident with a background in information technology and public sector innovation, Hayes brings expertise from his time as CIO and his own consulting work. Hayes is seeking re-election in November 2025.
Committee Assignments: Appropriations (General Government and Capital Outlay Subcommittee Chair), Communications, Technology and Innovation (Chair), Health and Human Services, Rules

Constitutional Amendments
- Co-patroned a Constitutional Amendment to enshrine abortion rights in Virginia’s Constitution
- Co-patroned a Constitutional Amendment to restore voting rights to returning citizens
- Co-patroned a Constitutional Amendment to enshrine equal marriage rights in Virginia’s Constitution

Education
- Voted to raise teacher pay to the national average
- Voted to increase protections and support for cyberbullying
- Co-patroned a bill to authorize public colleges and universities to prohibit guns on school property
- Did not vote on a “forced-outing” bill targeting transgender students to avoid going on the record

Economy and Inflation
- Co-patroned a bill to increase the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2027
- Co-patroned a bill to establish paid medical and family leave
- Co-patroned a bill to repeal prohibitions on collective bargaining for public employees
- Co-patroned a bill to establish regulatory bodies for the cannabis industry in Virginia
- Voted to establish frameworks to preserve local housing
- Voted to establish the Virginia Residential Landlord and Tenant Act

Health and Human Services
Key legislation:
- Voted to establish a Prescription Drug Affordability Board
- Voted to establish the right to access and use FDA-approved birth control
- Voted to require health insurance plans to cover birth control

Other Issues
- Voted to prohibit the manufacture, sale, and possession of assault-style weapons
- Voted to authorize Ranked Choice Voting for certain local elections
- Co-sponsored a bill to establish regulations for “high-risk” AI

Recommendation

This is an uncontested race. Based on his history of advocating for gun violence prevention, quality, affordable healthcare, and workers' rights, Delegate Cliff Hayes is a progressive candidate.