Election day is Nov. 4 for Virginia’s state and local races. Here is what you need to know about who is on your ballot in Lexington.

Governor

Abigail Spanberger, 46, is the Democratic nominee for Virginia’s gubernatorial election. She ran unopposed to secure the nomination after the filing deadline in April. She was born in Red Bank, N.J., and first moved to Henrico County, Va., as a teenager according to her website.

Spanberger went on to serve as a federal postal inspector and later as a CIA operations officer. She defeated an incumbent Republican in 2018 for Virginia’s 7th Congressional District. Her win marked the first time in 50 years a Democrat had won the seat, and the first time a woman won it. Spanberger went on to win the seat for two more terms. 

In Congress, Spanberger was widely known as a moderate lawmaker. She was ranked by the Center for Effective Lawmaking as the most effective member of Congress on agricultural issues, according to the Fredericksburg Free Press. 

Spanberger launched her bid for governor in 2023. She has led in the polls since February, according to the New York Times. Spanberger is running on improving Virginia’s schools, creating more jobs, lowering the cost of prescription drugs, improving health care and bipartisan problem-solving, according to her website.

Winsome Earle-Sears, 61, is the Republican nominee for Virginia’s gubernatorial election. Earle-Sears is the current lieutenant governor of Virginia, serving alongside Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who endorsed her campaign for governor. She was born in Kingston, Jamaica and immigrated to the U.S. when she was six years old, according to her campaign website. 

She went on to serve as a corporal in the U.S. Marine Corps. Earle-Sears was the first female, Black Republican to be elected to the Virginia House of Delegates. She was elected in 2001 and served one term.

She served as the Vice President of the Virginia State Board of Education, received a presidential appointment to the U.S. Census Bureau, was co-chair of the African American Committee and served on the advisory committee on Women Veterans to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. She is also Virginia’s first female lieutenant governor.

Earle-Sears has been running on “Don’t Maryland My Virginia,” a slogan aimed at criticizing Maryland’s policies, according to Rebecca Pryor of FOX 45 News. Earle-Sears also aims to enact legislation to remove transgender women athletes from women’s sports, according to her website. 

Other topics brought up by Earle-Sears on the campaign trail include reducing the cost of living, strengthening education and supporting law enforcement.

Lieutenant Governor

Ghazala Hashmi, 61, is the Democratic nominee for Virginia’s lieutenant governor. She narrowly defeated five other candidates in the Democratic primary in June. She was born in Hyderabad, India and immigrated to the U.S. when she was four according to her website. 

Hashmi moved to Richmond in 1991 from Georgia and spent almost 30 years as a professor at the University of Richmond and Reynolds Community College. At Reynolds, she was the Founding Director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. 

Hashmi was elected to District 10 in 2019 in an upset victory against a Republican incumbent. 

Hashmi is campaigning on decreasing inequity in housing, improving education and strengthening health care according to her website. She also plans to support gun violence prevention, reproductive health care and voting rights. 

John Reid, 54, is the Republican nominee for Virginia’s lieutenant governor. He ran unopposed to secure the nomination after the only other Republican dropped out due to health concerns, according to Markus Schmidt of Virginia Mercury. He was raised in Richmond, Va. and interned for President Ronald Reagan. 

Reid served in communications for a U.S. senator and a Veterans organization. Reid was also an ABC News anchor and investigative reporter in Richmond according to his website.. Now he hosts the WRVA Morning Show, which is one of the longest-running conservative talk radio programs. 

He is the first openly gay man to run for a statewide office according to Jahd Khalil of VPM. Reid wants to strengthen Virginia businesses and support small government. 

Attorney General

Jay Jones, 36, is the Democratic nominee for Virginia’s attorney general. Jones narrowly beat one other opponent in the primaries. He was raised in Norfolk, Va., before going on to law school and serving as an assistant attorney general. 

Jones also served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 2018 to 2022. He is running on protecting Virginian families from crime, big corporations and extremism. 

Jones has recently come under attack for sending violent messages to Republican Del. Carrie Coyner about shooting Former House Speaker Todd Gilbert, according to Charlotte Rene Woods of Virginia Mercury. Jones has apologized and said he regrets his message. 

Jason Miyares, 49, is the Republican nominee for Virginia’s attorney general. Miyares is the incumbent. He was born in North Carolina and moved to Virginia when he was young. Miyares went on to serve in the Virginia House of Delegates for the 82nd District from 2016 to 2022.

Miyares was elected Virginia’s attorney general in 2021 after beating the incumbent, a two-term Democrat according to his website. He is the first Hispanic American elected to a statewide office in Virginia. 

Miyares is campaigning on fighting violent crime and drug use, improving public safety and strengthening economic growth while protecting Virginians from corporations according to his campaign. 

House of Delegates, 37th District 

Andrew Hartless, 22, is the Democratic nominee for the House of Delegates 37th District. He was born in Rockbridge County and lives in Buena Vista. Hartless received the nomination in August after the previous candidate withdrew due to health concerns, according to News-Gazette.

Hartless graduated from Mountain Gateway Community College and has worked at Washington and Lee University and at Virginia Military Institute. Hartless is campaigning on supporting health care and creating a kinder Virginia according to his website.

Terry Austin, 69, is the Republican nominee for House of Delegates 37th District. Austin is the incumbent. He is from Buchanan, Va. and is currently serving his sixth term as the delegate for the 37th District. 

Austin previously served the 19th House District for 10 years. He is a small business owner campaigning on economic development, transportation infrastructure and the Second Amendment according to his website. 

Rockbridge and Lexington Sheriff

Tony McFaddin is an independent and the incumbent County Sheriff. He served in the Marine Corps and has over 30 years of law enforcement experience according to the Rockbridge County Staff Directory.

McFaddin is campaigning on reducing drug usage and supporting rehabilitation. He also sees domestic violence and trafficking as issues he plans to tackle if he is reelected. 

Chris Norris is an independent running for Lexington City Sheriff. He has been involved in the Glasgow Fire Department, Rockbridge Police Department and as a school resource officer according to Joseph Haney of The News-Gazette.

Norris is currently a police officer with the Carilion Clinic according to The News-Gazette. He is running on reducing drug usage and stopping domestic violence. 

Fred Smith is an independent running for Lexington City Sheriff. He has served as a part of the Lexington Police Department for more than 30 years according to Joseph Haney of The News-Gazette.

The News-Gazette also reports Smith is campaigning on inserting more anti-drug training into elementary schools, hiring more women into the Police Department and mandating body cameras for Rockbridge officers. 

Lexington City Treasurer

Patricia DeLaney is the incumbent and is running unopposed for Lexington City Treasurer. She has held this position since 2002. 

Lexington City Commissioner of Revenue

Kelly Glass is running unopposed for Lexington City Commissioner of Revenue. She has worked in the Rockbridge County Commissioner’s Office and most recently as the Chief Deputy Commissioner according to her Facebook. She is campaigning on giving professional and reliable services to Lexington. 

Ballots can be cast on Election Day from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the Piovano Building at 350 Spotswood Dr. Early voting is available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. before Nov. 1 in the Registrar’s Office at 300 Diamond St., Suite B. 

Voters must register or update their registration before Oct. 24 to be eligible to vote this cycle, according to the Virginia Department of Elections. To vote by mail, apply for a ballot before Oct. 24.