RICHMOND, Va — Democrat Abigail Spanberger won the Virginia governor’s race Tuesday, defeating Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears to give Democrats a key victory heading into the 2026 midterm elections and make history as the first woman ever to lead the commonwealth.
Spanberger’s win was the first in a big night for Democrats in Virginia and around the country, casting new doubts about President Donald Trump’s political strength less than a year into his second White House term.
A massive plan to buildout the remaining areas of Potomac Yard with 640 residential units, 13,000 square feet of retail space and public open space is heading to the Alexandria Planning Commission next month.
Developers MTV Holdco, LLC, Wesley Housing Development Corporation and Toll Mid-Atlantic LP Company, Inc, have partnered for the buildout of the four remaining vacant parcels in Potomac Yard. The full package heads to the Planning Commission on Dec. 2.
This story has been updated to reflect new information from the General Registrar at 4:27 p.m.
As of 4 p.m. today (Tuesday), about 53.4% of registered voters in Alexandria had cast ballots in the general election, according to the city’s top elections official.
The Alfred Street Baptist Church is asking for the city’s permission to construct a four-story, 145-unit affordable apartment complex at an existing Old Town apartment.
The church is proposing to demolish a 1.2-acre portion of the Olde Towne West apartment complex and redevelop it to “expand the number of affordable housing units” in the neighborhood, according to a proposal. The plan is slated for review by the Planning Commission at its Dec. 2 meeting.
As Alexandria voters shuffled to the polls this morning (Tuesday), many said they were casting ballots motivated by the government shutdown and their views on the Trump administration.
At precincts in Old Town, Mount Vernon and near Seminary Hill/Landmark, several voters lamented the shutdown and told ALXnow they do not like the political direction the country is turning toward — a sentiment fueling their ballot box decisions, particularly in Virginia’s gubernatorial election.
Polls Are Open — They’ll remain open until 7 p.m. Nearly 30% of the city’s registered voters have already cast early ballots — a notable increase compared to November 2021’s early voting numbers. Voters can confirm their polling place using the Virginia Department of Elections’ Citizen Portal webpage. [ALXnow]
Road Closures Coming Next Week — “The City of Alexandria will be conducting investigation and testing work on the streets surrounding City Hall from Nov. 13-20.” N. Royal Street will be closed to all traffic between Cameron Street and King Street for the duration of the work, detouring drivers to N. Pitt Street and N. Fairfax Street. [City of Alexandria]
Good Monday evening, Alexandria. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar.
The following articles were published earlier today — Nov 3, 2025.
Here are today’s most-read articles:
Here is what’s going on Tuesday in Alexandria, from our event calendar.
Expect sunshine and a high temperature of around 62, accompanied by west winds blowing at 8-11 mph and gusts up to 21 mph. As night falls on Tuesday, there will be mostly clear skies with lows close to 41, with west winds gradually calming at around 5 mph. See more from Weather.gov.
“To succeed in life, you need two things: ignorance and confidence.”
– Mark Twain
Thanks for reading!
Faced with uncertainty from the government shutdown and federal layoffs, Alexandria City Manager Jim Parajon says the city is facing a relatively flat Fiscal Year 2027 budget.
Parajon is asking all city departments for a 1% budget cut and 1.5% in growth for Alexandria City Public Schools. During Saturday’s annual City Council budget retreat, he said the city is “not in a negative situation” — but rather, aiming to adjust its sails in turbulent economic times.
State Sen. Ghazala Hashmi spoke with small business owners in Del Ray during a last-minute campaign stop today (Monday) as she vies to be Virginia’s next lieutenant governor.
Joined by State Sen. Adam Ebbin, (D-39), the Democratic candidate made appearances at Tops of Old Town, St. Elmo’s Coffee Pub, Stardust Vintage and Gift and others along Mount Vernon Avenue. There, she heard business owners’ concerns and lamented the effects of federal layoffs and the government shutdown in Northern Virginia.
Races for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and members of the House of Delegates are all on the ballot in Alexandria tomorrow.
The city’s voters are also poised to re-elect incumbent Commonwealth’s Attorney Bryan Porter and Sheriff Sean Casey, both of whom are running unopposed.
Alexandria’s annual leaf vacuuming and collection program kicks off today (Monday).
Crews will begin with a “first pass” at two of Alexandria’s five collection zones today. They’ll be in Zone 2, which encompasses some residential areas of Seminary Hill, and parts of Old Town in Zone 5, Section A.
