The 2025 Gubernatorial and House of Delegates elections went poorly for the Republican Party. Democrat Abigail Spanberger is now Governor-Elect, beating Republican Winsome Earle-Sears by over 15 points on the same night that Democrats flipped thirteen seats in the Virginia House of Delegates.
While this election cycle was a defeat Republicans would soon like to forget, it is critical that Republican campaigns identify and implement digital best practices to defeat Democrats in 2026 and beyond.
Spark.Gop has done the due diligence: Compiling thousands of data points and analyzing the digital trends that lend to election results like those in Virginia. Campaigns have to evolve beyond just yard signs and door knocking to be competitive in the digital space. Below are five critical insights into the digital discrepancies that propelled Democrats to victory in Virginia.
Mistake #1: Failure to Include Donation Button
In the most tightly contested races, Democrats significantly outraised Republicans. In fact, among the thirteen flipped seats in the Virginia House of Delegates, the average Democrat raised $2,198,409, compared to just $842,821 for the average Republican.
Further review of publicly disclosed election expenditures reveal that Democrat candidates processed more than five times more online donations through ActBlue than Republicans did through either WinRed or Anedot in these competitive races.
One best practice for campaigns to implement is featuring a bold, clearly visible “Donate” or “Contribute” button in their website’s header. Professional shops using WordPress were able to achieve this small but significant detail while campaigns using Wix or Squarespace often did not.
Republican campaigns that fail to feature a donation button as a prominent, eye-catching component of their campaign webpage sacrifice their ability to generate grassroots digital donations and make it more difficult for their supporters to invest in their success.
*Madison Whittle, winner of House District 49 race, features “Contribute” button in bright red, contrasting white background on the Whittle For Delegate homepage.
*Scott Thomas, defeated in House District 29, does not feature and emphasize a donation button on his campaign website.
Mistake #2 : Failure to Establish Email Sequences
Spark.Gop signed up for the email lists of every Republican and Democratic candidate on the ballot for the Virginia House of Delegates. The contrast was stark: Democratic candidates demonstrated far more advanced email infrastructure than Republicans.
In an evolving digital landscape, campaigns must decide which avenues are worthwhile for reaching supporters. In Virginia, Democrats invested in the professional-grade email sequencing tools that Republicans often neglected.
Connecting frequently with the candidate’s email list allows Democratic campaigns to bypass the algorithmic and organic growth volatility that arise from relying on social media as a primary marketing vehicle.
While campaigns cannot guarantee a social media post reaches their target audience, they can be confident that providing their subscribers with campaign updates or a newsletter through email will drive donations and increase the engagement level of their supporters.
Below is an example of an email sent by Delegate Atoosa Reaser (D), winner of the House District 27 election mobilizing supporters and soliciting donations.
*Email sent by the campaign of Delegate Atoosa Reaser (D), winner of the House District 27 election.
Mistake #3: Failure to Send Instant Email Confirmation to New Subscribers
Continuing the important conversation around email, Democrat campaigns in Virginia instantly sent a message to new subscribers to their email list. When a voter signs up for a candidate’s email list, it is best practice to follow up with them instantly to afford them the opportunity to donate or connect with the candidate’s other digital channels.
Quickly following up with leads capitalizes on their attention and has been shown to massively increase conversion rates. A rapid email confirmation to new subscribers is a simple step that makes voters feel valuable for their interest in a candidate.
In a moment where Democrat campaigns are raising more donations than Republicans, Republican campaigns cannot afford to miss out on converting the emotional support voters have online into tangible results in terms of fundraising and voter turnout.
Below is an example of a confirmation email from Delegate Josh Thomas, a democrat who won an additional term in House District 21.
Mistake #4: Not Providing an Actionable Step for Visitors on Homepage
One best practice for Republican campaigns to implement in 2026 and beyond is featuring a pop-up on their campaign webpage. A pop-up prompting site visitors to enter their email address or give a donation makes it clear how supporters can get involved right away.
Collecting these emails is a powerful resource victorious DEM and GOP campaigns used to drive donations and voter turnout. Campaigns would be wise to use urgent language around collecting emails and donations to emphasize the significance of grassroots fundraising and mobilization in tightly contested races.
Below as an example of a website pop-up using Mailchimp integration by victorious Republican House of Delegates candidate Wendell Walker.
*Pop-up message on the Delegate Wendell Walker homepage to collect emails, driving donations and voter turnout. Delegate Walker defeated Democratic Challenger Rise Marie Hayes in Virginia House District 52. Note that you may want to delay showing this pop-up until the visitor has had time to get value from the website.
When analyzing the thirteen seats that flipped from Republican to Democrat control in Virginia, a data point that jumps off the page is FaceBook Advertising. Not only did DEM candidates significantly outraise GOP candidates, but they turned that additional fundraising into increased social media reach.
Amongst the thirteen flipped seats in Virginia, the average Democrat had 524,615 FaceBook Ads impressions, compared to just 151,154 for Republican candidates.
Democrats are able to generate additional fundraising from these impressions, increase voter turnout, and mobilize grassroots supporters. Increasing donations and social media impressions creates a positive feedback loop to increase campaign momentum.
Democratic challenger John McAuliff was able to defeat Republican Delegate Geary Higgins in part due to his larger reach through FaceBook Ads. McAuliff ran nearly twice as many FaceBook Ads as Higgins which translated to an impression discrepancy totaling in the hundreds of thousands.
*FaceBook Ads Library for Republican Delegate Geary Higgins, who was defeated by Democratic Challenger John McAuliff in Virginia House District 30.
*FaceBook Ads Library for Democratic Challenger John McAuliff, victorious in Virginia House District 30 in part due to his more robust advertising strategy.
Conclusion
For Republicans to keep pace with Democrats in the 2026 midterms, they must implement the lessons learned from the successes and failures in the 2025 Virginia elections. Establishing professional campaign update sequencing with instant sign-up confirmation emails, utilizing website pop-up integrations, creating a visible donation button, and leveraging social media advertising are essential to compete with and defeat Democratic campaigns moving forward.
While no digital tactic can overcome a double-digit defeat on its own, these optimizations have a cumulative and compounding effect on races. In tightly contested races with little room for error, stacking best practices can provide Republican campaigns with the additional donation revenue and voter turnout necessary to achieve victory.