Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger released her latest campaign ad Tuesday, slamming Republican opponent Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears for backing Trump administration policies.
The 30-second ad titled “Heard Enough,” claims Earle-Sears “is so far-right, she’s wrong for Virginia,” with Spanberger writing that the Lieutenant Governor “chooses her loyalty to Trump over what’s best for Virginia.” It’s been a common refrain in Spanberger’s campaign, with the “so far right” language becoming a motto of sorts in its attacks against Earle-Sears.
The ad focuses on the policy differences between Spanberger and Earle-Sears, noting that Spanberger has been focused on lowering costs for Virginia households, while highlighting Earle-Sears’ unwavering support for President Donald Trump, whose policies Spanberger and other Trump critics claim hurt average Americans.
The ad shows Earle-Sears speaking at a rally with a narrator calling her “MAGA Republican Winsome Earle-Sears,” before cutting to a shot of Earle-Sears yelling at the crowd, “I am speaking,” several times. The narrator then says Earle-Sears “speaks for Trump,” before cutting to an audio clip of her saying, “I’m supporting what the President is doing.”
The add specifically targets Earle-Sears for backing “Trump’s billionaire tax breaks,” showing Earle-Sears saying on video that Trump’s tax package “as you know, does many great things.”
The ad is referring to Trump’s recently passed “Big Beautiful Bill” (H.R.1) that ushered in sweeping cuts to health care and social programs such as Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). VADems, which is opposing Earle-Sears, additionally claim tariffs on imported goods and services have driven inflation, raising the prices of consumer goods.
The Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) push to cut down the federal workforce has further impacted Virginia’s 320,000 civilian federal employees.
The ad also takes aim at Earle-Sears wanting to ban abortion, and features a quote of her calling abortion “wicked,” before closing with the repeated attack against Earle-Sears. “Heard enough? Winsome Earle-Sears is so far-right, she’s wrong for Virginia.”
Spanberger has rolled out several initiatives she plans to implement if elected, including her “Affordable Virginia Plan,” that aims to lower the cost of health care, housing, and energy.
Spanberger also has a “Growing Virginia Plan” to grow the state’s workforce and business investment, and the “Strengthening Virginia School’s Plan,” which focuses on strengthening the performance of both K-12 schools and higher education institutions.
In a recent press release, Spanberger claimed Earle-Sears does not have a public plan to lower housing costs, which according to recent polling from Virginia Commonwealth University, is a concern for 78% of Virginians.
New data from the Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement shows jobless rates rose 38% in Arlington, 35% in Alexandria, and 28% in Fairfax compared to 2024. Virginia’s unemployment rate also rose seven consecutive months.
Connor Joseph, Communications Director for Spanberger campaign, said in a statement that Spanberger is hearing from Virginians who have recently lost their jobs because of the Trump administration’s policies on workforce and economy.
“This new data confirms what Abigail has been saying since January — President Trump’s DOGE cuts are killing Virginians’ jobs and hurting Virginia’s entire economy,” Joseph said. “While Abigail is offering a vision for lowering costs and standing up to the chaos, Winsome Earle-Sears has backed President Trump’s attacks on Virginians’ jobs and Virginia’s economy at every opportunity.”
Spanberger and Earle-Sears are scheduled to debate Oct. 9, hosted by Norfolk State University and WAVY-TV.
