Wow. What an election we had here in Virginia last night. Let’s start with the big news: all four candidates endorsed by the JUFJ Campaign Fund won their races! Mazel tov / congratulations to Governor-elect Abigail Spanberger, Lieutenant Governor-elect Ghazala Hashmi, Attorney General-elect Jay Jones, and Delegate-elect Elizabeth Guzman!
And that’s only the start of the good news. Not only did all of our endorsed candidates win, but the Democratic majority in the House of Delegates expanded from a razor-thin 51/49 majority to a whopping 64/36 by flipping thirteen seats from red to blue!
In our very first election cycle in Northern Virginia, the JUFJ Campaign Fund planned to start off small, canvassing in only one state district. But our impact was anything but small. Teams of our members and staff canvassed every Sunday in October and all day on the first Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday of November, and we formed deep partnerships with organizations that have been doing electoral work in Virginia for decades. I am so grateful to all of the JUFJ Campaign Fund members and partners who helped make these victories happen.
A Democratic governor and a much bluer House of Delegates will be critical to winning on the issues we care about, including voting rights, marriage equality, reproductive freedom, workers’ rights, immigrant justice, and more. So now that the election is over, what’s next? We know that elections are a critical piece of a campaign, but that to make real differences in the lives of Virginians, we need to be organizing throughout the year, not just during election season.
In 2026, JUFJ and the JUFJ Campaign Fund will be engaging for the first time in advocacy work focused on the Virginia General Assembly’s legislative session. Stay tuned for an announcement of our legislative agenda for 2026, what our work looks like going forward, and how you can be part of a movement for a more just Virginia.