There’s no doubt that this is a moment of extraordinary consequence for our country. That’s why it’s as important as ever that we work to flip the House in the 2026 midterms and put an essential check on Trump’s agenda. And there are also some important state-level races this year, with national implications—where grassroots support like ours could make the difference. One place that's happening is Virginia.
This November, Democrats have a real opportunity to flip statewide power in a single cycle by winning three offices: the governorship, lieutenant governorship, and attorney general seat. We also need to win eight state House seats to protect Democrats’ majority in the state legislature. These victories would give Democrats full control in Virginia—a very big deal at a time when blue state power stands as one of the only xxxxxxs against Trump’s overreach from D.C.
What happens in the Virginia elections will be seen as an important bellwether for 2026, and signal whether voters are ready to reject Trump and MAGA by turning Republican seats blue. It’s also an opportunity to lay more groundwork in competitive House districts, where Swing Left groups have already been hard at work contacting voters and raising funds.
Together, we are:
✅ Helping Abigail Spanberger flip the governor’s office back to blue. The Virginia governor appoints key officials that oversee elections, education, and more—levers Republicans would exploit to advance Trump’s agenda. This office flipped red in 2021, and winning it back is essential to protecting Virginians and advancing Democratic priorities.
✅ Ensuring Ghazala Hashmi and Jay Jones win their races for lieutenant governor and attorney general. This is Swing Left’s first-ever involvement in races for lieutenant governor and state attorney general—a reflection of just how important these offices are in the fight to stop Trump authoritarianism and protect the rights of Virginians. As lieutenant governor, Ghazala Hashmi can serve as the tie-breaking vote in the Virginia Senate—which could decide the fate of bills protecting voting rights, reproductive freedom, public education, and more. And as attorney general, Jay Jones will be able to bring litigation to challenge the Trump administration’s overreach, alongside other attorneys general across the country.
✅ Supporting eight state House candidates running to flip Republican-held seats and expand Democratic control in the state legislature: Elizabeth Guzmán (House District 22), John McAuliff (House District 30), Stacey Carroll (House District 64), Jessica Anderson (House District 71), Leslie Mehta (House District 73), Lindsey Dougherty (House District 75), Virgil Thornton, Sr. (House District 86), Kacey Carnegie (House District 89).
✅ Targeting pivotal state House districts this year to lay the groundwork to flip the U.S. House and put a check on Donald Trump next year. Virginia’s 64th and 89th districts are located within two of our target U.S. House districts for 2026—the 7th Congressional District, where we need to re-elect Democratic Rep. Eugene Vindman, and the 2nd Congressional District, where we need to build momentum to defeat anti-abortion Republican Rep. Jen Kiggans.
Virginia is one part of our comprehensive plan to support races that build Democratic power that will help us flip the U.S. House in 2026. Alongside these state-level races, we’re also working to pass the California redistricting ballot measure this November, to help cancel out the unfair advantage in the House race that Republicans are attempting to gain through gerrymandering in states like Texas and Missouri.
And, critically, we’re organizing NOW to help Democrats win 22 competitive U.S. House districts next year, by talking to voters early in those districts and fundraising for their eventual Democratic nominees. This includes work through Ground Truth, our strategic canvassing initiative that’s changing how Democrats talk with voters—knocking every door, listening deeply, and sharing insights with campaigns.
It’s all part of one mission: to direct our collective efforts toward the highest-impact actions that will make a difference in key elections and help swing the balance of power.
