With two weeks left until the Virginia Governor’s race is decided, both Democratic candidate Abigail Spanberger and her Republican opponent, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, are rallying supporters and trading blows.
Spanberger released a campaign ad Wednesday showcasing how Earle-Sears’ support for Trump administration policies is hurting Virginians. The ad claims that under Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Earle-Sears, Virginia home prices are up 18%, rent prices have increased 15%, and the unemployment rate has risen for seven consecutive months.
On Tuesday, Spanberger held an event at the historic Jefferson Theater in Charlottesville to encourage Virginians to cast their ballots on November 4. She was joined by former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and a crowd of 1,300 supporters.
“We know the stakes of this election, and we know what we are for. We are for a Governor focused relentlessly on lowering costs — lowering costs in housing, healthcare, and energy, recognizing that there are a lot of challenges facing people in every corner of Virginia,” Spanberger said. “We need a Governor who has a plan in working with the General Assembly and their administration to drive down costs and make life more livable for Virginians.”
Buttigieg touted Spanberger’s record as one of the most bipartisan lawmakers during her time in Congress and told supporters she is committed to getting things done, especially regarding lowering costs for Virginia families.
“With early voting underway even as we speak, Virginians can not only elect the leaders that you deserve but also send a powerful message about what we all expect from our leaders,” Buttigieg said. “That is a message that will be heard around this country. Choosing a leader like Abigail Spanberger is not just a smart hire; it is a demand that policies change and a recognition that personnel is policy.”
Spanberger further called out Earle-Sears for her unwavering support of President Donald Trump and his administration’s decision to mass-fire thousands of federal workers.
“We have leaders in Richmond who refuse to recognize the impacts of bad legislation coming out of Washington that will raise prices for Virginians, of bad tariff policies that are hurting Virginians, and an attack on the federal workforce with DOGE 1.0 — and now their effort to continue it during a government shutdown,” Spanberger said. “These are attacks on Virginians and on our economy, and we need a Governor who will stand up against them.”
Meanwhile, Earle-Sears took to social media to accuse Spanberger of supporting Virginia Democratic Attorney General candidate Jay Jones, who faced scandal recently when conversations were uncovered showing him seemingly calling for political violence against his opponents, something Jones has since admitted to and attempted to apologize for.
Spanberger has condemned the statements, but Earle-Sears has continued criticizing her for not outright calling on Jones to leave the race.
“We can’t have a Governor who stares into the void every time a hard question comes her way — or excuses homicidal fantasies,” Earle-Sears wrote on X. “If this is Abigail now, imagine her sitting across the table from investors or even the president himself. She is not Governor material.”
In an interview with Fox News, Earle-Sears called Spanberger “divisive” and claimed Spanberger would increase taxes on Virginians if she is elected Governor.
“These politicians, they’re divisive and haven’t we had enough of division? We have seen when you have leaders who are politicians and they say things like my opponent, ‘let your rage fuel you,’ and they said it after Charlie Kirk.” Earle-Sears said. “She still kept saying it … what rage Abigail? And fuel what, Abigail? And to whom, Abigail? I mean, we want our leaders to bring us together and I’m so tired of political violence. We don’t want that here.”
Earle-Sears further shared video of Spanberger announcing she had cast her ballot for Governor, and that she had voted for Democratic Lieutenant Governor candidate Ghazala Hashmi and Jones for Attorney General.
“Abigail voted for a man who fantasized about murdering a dad and his two boys, and about cops getting shot. When you excuse evil, you invite it,” Earle-Sears wrote alongside the video.
