Virginia Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears has launched a series of attacks against Democratic rival Abigail Spanberger, in a Governor’s race that has increasingly shown Earle-Sears with ground to cover.
Recent polls show Earle-Sears lagging behind Spanberger, with one showing Spanberger leading Earle-Sears by 12 percentage points. Another poll from Roanoke College in May, showed a 43% to 26% lead for Spanberger.
Earle-Sears dismissed recent polls as inaccurate and alleged the media is reporting her behind Spanberger to discourage voters.
“We’re going to win, and we’ll see what the media does after that,” Earle-Sears said.
But Spanberger is also outpacing Sears on fundraising, reporting more than $15 million on hand at the end of the most recent fundraising period, while Sears ended it with just $4.5 million.
After receiving only tepid support from President Donald Trump, who said he would endorse the former marine, but stopped short of actually doing it, Earle-Sears sat during a Sunday interview with Lara Trump, where she discussed her priorities if elected Governor.
Earle-Sears said she would continue Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s advocacy for school choice in Virginia. The former U.S. Marine called out her opponent over her history of voting against parental rights in education, a common refrain among GOP candidates.
“Spanberger has voted against the Parents’ Rights Act,” she said, adding an attack on what she described as support for sanctuary cities. “She voted against the Laken Riley Act, which simply said if you’re criminally, illegally here, you got to go home.”
Congress passed the Laken Riley Act in response to young college student Laken Riley’s murder at the hands of an undocumented immigrant. Her death became a rallying cry within the GOP in support of Trump’s hard-line immigration tactics.
In a 10-second clip, Spanberger is seen laughing when asked about building a physical wall to keep illegal migrant crossings at a minimum, swiftly responding with a “No.”
“Abigail Spanberger laughed at the idea of a border wall,” Earle-Sears wrote. “She got a kick while criminals poured in, and families were torn apart by drugs and gang violence.”
Earle-Sears recently faced blowback after she turned down an invitation to participate in the People’s Debate hosted by AARP at Virginia State University, citing scheduling conflicts.
The Lieutenant Governor instead opted to take part in a debate hosted by CNN and said Spanberger declined the invitation to avoid questions on the identity politics she supports.
“Abigail is skipping the debate to dodge one question: Why does she support men in little girls’ locker rooms?” She asked on X.
Earle-Sears posted another video of Spanberger saying a candidate who refuses to debate should not be elected, a comment for which which she was labelled a hypocrite.
Last week, Earle-Sears also called out Spanberger over her silence on the Loudoun County School Board voting to reject the U.S. Department of Education’s directives on changing bathroom policies for transgender students.
“Abigail Spanberger supports the radical Loudoun School Board’s push to allow boys in girls’ bathrooms and locker rooms,” Earle-Sears wrote on X. “If she cared about Virginia’s parents or daughters, she’d reject this insanity and the extremists endangering our kids.”
Earle-Sears’ campaign is trying to turn attention to some red meat topics prevalent among GOP officials and candidates.
The transgender issue is a common talking point among Republican candidates, and an issue Democrats have had a hard time answering to. Supporting transgender rights is a key part of the party’s support for LGBTQ+ issues and equality, but it’s also an issue on which the party faces a dilemma.
A Pew Research poll earlier this year found 49% support among American voters for laws that require individuals to use public bathrooms that correspond to the gender assigned at birth, while only 26% opposed such restrictions.
In yet another attack campaign ad launched Thursday, Earle-Sears alleged Spanberger is a career politician and “Washington insider.”
“Four years ago, we rejected career politicians and sent a message, move Virginia forward,” she said. “But Abigail Spanberger is a Washington insider who voted with Pelosi and Biden every single time.”
