U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott said Monday he has not ruled out running for Virginia governor, even though a recent poll places him slightly behind Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears in a hypothetical match up.
Earle-Sears and former U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat, are the only declared candidates in the November 2025 gubernatorial race. A Mason-Dixon poll released Friday had Spanberger leading Earle-Sears 47% to 44% among registered Virginia voters, with 9% undecided.
But Scott has been rumored to be considering a run for the Democratic nomination, with some party members reportedly expressing concern about Spanberger’s ability to draw Black voters. The same poll had Earle-Sears slightly ahead of Scott, with 46% of respondents saying they would vote for Earle-Sears, compared to 44% for Scott and 10% undecided.
When asked Monday if he was still considering a run for governor, Scott told The Virginian-Pilot and Daily Press he’s currently focused on his work as ranking member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. However, he added, “I haven’t ruled it out.”
Asked about the poll results, Scott said he found it “interesting” that he was within the 4 percentage point margin of error, without even mounting a campaign. In comparison, he noted Earle-Sears has been a statewide official for the last four years.
Scott said he didn’t have a timeline for determining whether or not to enter the race.
But if he does, the Mason-Dixon poll found he may have work to do in order to earn the Democratic nomination. The poll found Spanberger had stronger name recognition than Scott with 34% of respondents recognizing her favorably, and 17% recognizing her unfavorably, compared with 28% favorable and 7% unfavorable for Scott.
Josh Janney, joshua.janney@virginiamedia.com