ELECTION 2025: Every precinct in Henrico turned bluer this year

Democrat Abigail Spanberger won the governor’s office by shifting almost every county in Virginia to the left; and in Henrico, where Spanberger won 69% of the vote, every single local precinct experienced the blue wave.

Spanberger, who grew up in Henrico, won the county by more than Democratic candidate Kamala Harris (who earned 63.4% of Henrico's vote) in last year’s presidential election and by significantly more than former Democratic governor Terry McAuliffe (58.8%) in the 2021 gubernatorial election.

In an election dominated by the disruptions of the federal government shutdown, and national issues such as rising costs, abortion access, and public education, many Virginia Democrats have cited Spanberger’s win as a rejection of President Donald Trump and his administration.

Since Trump’s win in 2024, Spanberger flipped several Henrico precincts that had leaned red last election: the Northern Henrico precincts of Coalpit, Hungary Creek, Staples Mill, Glen Allen, and Holladay; the Western Henrico areas of Cedarfield, Lakewood, Gayton, West End, and Tuckahoe; and the Eastern Henrico precinct of Chickahominy. 

Areas such as Innsbrook and Johnson in Northwestern Henrico witnessed significant shifts to the left since the 2024 election, with Innsbrook shifting by 13 points and Johnson by 10 points. Other Western Henrico areas such as Short Pump, Colonial Trail and Tucker, as well as Eastern Henrico precincts Sandston and Nine Mile, also saw similar blue shifts.

In the gubernatorial election this year, Spanberger earned a higher percentage of the vote in every Henrico precinct than Harris did in last year's presidential election.

Unclear is whether this year's results were due primarily to the effects of a continuing philosophical shift to the left among Henrico voters, Spanberger's populatiry, or to the typical lower voter turnout in a gubernatorial election (about 59% this year in Henrico) when compared with a presidential election (about 72% last year in the county).

Spanberger flipped one-third of Henrico precincts since 2021 election

Since Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s victory over McAuliffe in 2021, one-third of Henrico’s precincts – 30 out of a total of 90 – have flipped from red to blue this year, with the biggest shifts happening in Western Henrico:

• Innsbrook (Three Chopt District): from 50% red in 2021 to 74% blue in 2025, a leftward shift of 25 points

• Cedarfield (Three Chopt District): from 61% red in 2021 to 61% blue in 2025, a leftward shift of 23 points

• Coalpit (Brookland District): from 57% red in 2021 to 63% blue, a leftward shift of 20 points

• Glen Allen (Brookland District): from 62% red in 2021 to 56% blue in 2025, a leftward shift of 19 points

• Shady Grove (Three Chopt District): from 58% red in 2021 to 61% blue in 2025, a leftward shift of 19 points

• Jackson Davis (Three Chopt District): from 56% red in 2021 to 62% blue in 2025, a leftward shift of 19 points

Other big leftward shifts happened in Northern and Eastern Henrico precincts:

• Lakeside (Fairfield District): from 52% blue in 2021 to 73% blue in 2025, a leftward shift of 21 points

• Sandston (Varina District): from 69% red in 2021 to 51% red in 2025, a leftward shift of 19 points

Henrico’s democratic center is the Fairfield District

This year’s elections showed the most staunchly Democratic areas of the county to be in the Eastern and Northern Henrico’s Fairfield District (in keeping with historical trends) and certain areas of the Varina District. Spanberger won seven of Fairfield’s 22 precincts by earning 90% of votes or more:

• Central Gardens (Fairfield District) was the biggest win for Spanberger in Henrico – she earned 96% of the vote;

• Maplewood (Fairfield District): Spanberger earned 96% of the vote;

• Eastbourne (Fairfield District): Spanberger earned 95% of the vote;

• Highland Gardens (Fairfield District): Spanberger earned 94% of the vote;

• Ratcliffe (Fairfield District): Spanberger earned 94% of the vote;

• Azalea (Fairfield District): Spanberger earned 92% of the vote;

• Rolfe (Varina District): Spanberger earned 92% of the vote.

The few staunchly Republican areas where Republican candidate Winsome Earle-Sears beat Spanberger were in the far reaches of Eastern Henrico:

• Elko (Sandston) was the biggest win for Earle-Sears in Henrico – she earned 73% of the vote;

• Antioch (Sandston): Earle-Sears won with 64% of the vote.

In several different parts of the county, votes were fairly evenly split between the candidates:

• Sandston (Varina District): Earle-Sears won by only 18 votes.

• Whitlocks (Varina District): Spanberger won by only 28 votes.

• Hunton (Brookland District): Spanberger won by only 28 votes.

• Mooreland (Tuckahoe District): Earle-Sears won by only 68 votes.

Follow the money

Western Henrico’s Tuckahoe District, despite being more evenly split in votes this election, was a powerhouse for Spanberger’s fundraising efforts in the county.

According to financial data, as of this past Aug, 31, Spanberger received her largest donations from precincts that have leaned more conservative in past years: from 46 different donors in the Maybeury precinct ($207,161), 59 donors in the Mooreland precinct ($151,348), and 100 donors in the Tuckahoe precinct ($129,639).

Earle-Sears also received her top donations from 33 donors in Western Henrico’s Mooreland precinct ($57,913) and 43 donors in the Tuckahoe precinct ($40,018), as well as from six donors in Brookland District’s Johnson precinct ($27,974).

Overall, Henrico residents contributed $1.72 million in campaign donations to one of the two gubernatorial candidates between Jan. 1-Aug. 31 this year (out of about $20 million total donated to the two candidates during that time by Virginians), according to the Virginia Public Access Project. Of that total, about $1.4 million of donations from county residents went to the Spanberger campaign, while about $292,000 went to the Earle-Sears campaign.

By district:

• Brookland District residents donated $143,557 to Spanberger and $48,813 to Earle-Sears;

• Fairfield District residents donated $101,033 to Spanberger and $26,196 to Earle-Sears;

• Three Chopt District residents donated $358,695 to Spanberger and $35,437 to Earle-Sears;

• Tuckahoe District residents donated $801,704 to Spanberger and $161,994 to Earle-Sears;

• Varina District residents donated $25,178 to Spanberger and $19,684 to Earle-Sears

Local democratic candidates also dominate

Democrat May Nivar defeated Republican incumbent David Owen to win the Virginia House of Delegates’ 57th District seat in Western Henrico. Nivar won the district (which includes parts of Goochland and Henrico) with 55% of votes, but won Henrico with 58%.

While Owen won all precincts in conservative-leaning Goochland, Nivar won all of Henrico’s 17 precincts, with her strongest support in the Innsbrook (67%) and Colonial Trail (64%) precincts.

Back in 2023, Owen claimed the district over Democrat Susanna Gibson with 51% of the overall vote by winning (by small margins) the Henrico precincts of Shady Grove, Rivers Edge, Hungary Creek, and Nuckols Farm. Nivar won those four districts this year by margins of about 5% to 13%.

Democratic incumbent Rodney Willett was reelected to Western Henrico’s 58th District seat by defeating Republican Milad Mikhail with 61% of the votes in the district, which is located entirely within Henrico County.

Willett won all of the 24 Henrico precincts except for Mooreland and saw his strongest support in the areas of Tucker (77%), Crestview (68%), Skipwith (68%), and Westwood (68%). Notably, Willett won the Tuckahoe precinct by just 13 votes.

In 2023, Willett won with 55% of the vote and lost seven of the precincts: Cedarfield, Derbyshire, Gayton, Lakewood, Maybeury, Mooreland, and Tuckahoe.

Liana Hardy is the Citizen’s government and education reporter. Support her work and articles like this one by making a contribution to the Citizen.