Category: In the news

It’s hard to find a more risk-averse politician than Virginia Democrat Abigail Spanberger. From the University of Virginia to a master’s degree, followed by the CIA and then a high-end consulting firm, Spanberger’s adult life was custom-made for her 2025 gubernatorial bid.

But it’s hard to play it safe when you’re a member of a party that lets a male sex offender into the high school girls’ locker room in the name of civil rights.

Republican gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears has surged in recent weeks by highlighting how Democrats’ woke ideology is harming Virginia school children, especially those in the wealthy blue counties right outside of Washington, D.C.

This late-summer surge is promising, and it also provides a lesson for Republicans: Elected Democrats are staked to extreme and unpopular views on gender and race, and these issues are especially salient in schools, where even moderate Democratic parents understand that this ideology endangers their children and disrupts education.

Earle-Sears should press these issues as hard as she can, forcing Spanberger to either abandon her base and past positions or win moderate voters.

The best distillation of the Democrats’ problem came in a protest sign held by a Spanberger supporter:

“Hey Winsome, if trans can’t share your bathroom, then blacks can’t share my water fountain,” read the sign, held aloft by a white Democrat protesting Earle-Sears in Arlington.

The message was that black people lose their legal equality if they deviate from progressive orthodoxy. This is a common sentiment from the Left, even if it’s rarely expressed so coarsely.

The message is even more deranged when you consider the transgender bathroom issue in Arlington and nearby.

Richard Cox, a repeat sex offender, was allowed by Arlington and Fairfax counties regularly into women’s locker rooms at public pools. He exposed himself to women and girls. Why did the pools let him in? Why didn’t Fairfax County prosecute him for it?

You can guess why. Cox claims to be a woman. Under the Democrats’ official ideology, that means Cox is a woman. “Trans can share your bathroom” means “your girls need to be exposed to pervert Richard Cox.”

More recently, Loudoun County Public Schools suspended two boys because they objected to a girl, who identified as a boy, being in the boys’ locker room.

Every sane person agrees that, speaking honestly, the boys were blameless and right. Every decent person believes Cox doesn’t belong in girls’ locker rooms and that Fairfax and Arlington counties should prosecute him. But Democratic dogma doesn’t allow this, because the party holds that “trans women are women,” meaning Cox is a woman simply because he says he is.

This is Spanberger’s dilemma. Does she reverse her embrace of Democratic dogma, or does she dramatically change her position to align with sanity?

Politics may force her to switch if Earle-Sears continues to bang this drum.

Arlington and Fairfax schools have been failing their students. Republicans won every statewide office in the 2021 elections largely because school parents saw that woke ideology was undermining education. For the last three school years, the percentage of Fairfax and Arlington students passing the state Standards of Learning tests in all subjects has remained 5%-10% lower than a decade ago.

Moderate parents in costly Washington suburbs might tolerate some wokeism, but not at the expense of their children and the education they pay for so dearly with their property taxes and high home prices.

Northern Virginia’s shift to the Democrats is the reason Democrats have won most statewide elections for the past decade — they hold both Senate seats and have won the state’s electoral votes handily in the last five elections.

This is Spanberger’s home turf. She knows she has to win here by a big margin if she is to win statewide. If Earle-Sears keeps pressing the issue of ideology-over-education, she can win the governor’s mansion or force Spanberger to back down from the Democrats’ destructive dogma.

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ARLINGTON, Va. (7News) — Virginia Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears reacted to the racist sign targeting her at Thursday’s Arlington County, Virginia, school board meeting.

The sign, which has received millions of views on social media, reads, “Hey Winsome, if trans can’t share your bathroom, then blacks can’t share my water fountain.”

“It’s a shame,” Earle-Sears told 7News about the sign. “She was holding up that sign for a whole hour, Nick, and nobody said to her to take it down. They’re spewing hate. The very hate that they say we on the Republican side are doing is what they’re doing, and it’s a shame. And remember who I am. I’m an immigrant to this wonderful country, and not only that, but I’m a Black woman, and so I’m second in command in the former capital of the Confederate States, for her to talk about a water fountain that Blacks – so she started with me, she started with me and then she went to Black people in general – can’t be at her water fountain. When did you start owning the water fountains, my good friend? And I thought the water fountains belong to everybody. Are we going back to Klan days now? Is that what you’re saying? But you’re a Democrat. You know, none of this makes any sense. And all I’m trying to do is to say parents are trying to raise their young boys, for example, to respect women, to honor women. And yet we have school systems, Loudoun school system, that wants to force these young boys to undress in front of biological girls, so they’re getting in the way of a parent who wants to raise their child properly. And then we have other school systems like Arlington, Alexandria, Prince William, Fairfax, and Loudoun, of course, who say, well, ‘Title IX doesn’t really matter’, and that, yes, they will force young girls even to undress in front of biological men.”

Over the weekend, a Vice Chair of the Virginia Democratic Party blamed what happened on the “climate Winsome Sears is creating.”

The Arlington Democratic Committee, which helped organize the rally to protest Earle-Sears, said the woman who held the sign, is not affiliated with them, and they don’t know her.

In a post dated to 2023, the Arlington County Democrats shared a photo on social media reportedly showing the woman handing out Democratic sample ballots.

“And they’re blaming me, the victim of a racist comment that conjures up everything that was bad in 1963 during the height of the Civil Rights Movement, when my father came to America, when we really couldn’t, as Black people, live where we wanted,” said Earle-Sears. “We couldn’t, well, we couldn’t eat where we wanted, we couldn’t do anything, and we were in danger of being lynched. And so here is this woman at the Democratic Party which started it. Now you’re blaming me for a racist sign? But think about it, I would not have been at the school board meeting had the Democrats not started this nonsensical idea that biological men can be women and can, of course, undress in front of our girls.”

On Friday and on Monday, 7News Reporter Nick Minock called and knocked on the door of the woman in the picture to ask why she brought the sign to the rally. No one answered the door.

As for Earle-Sears’ opponent in the race to be Virginia’s next Governor, former U.S. Representative Spanberger condemned the sign, but one of her spokespeople accused Earle-Sears of stoking division at the Arlington school board meeting.

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Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears narrowed former Representative Abigail Spanberger’s lead in the Virginia gubernatorial race, according to a new poll.

A spokesperson for Spanberger’s campaign told Newsweek that she is “laser-focused on addressing what are Virginians’ top-of-mind challenges—this poll makes that crystal clear.”

Newsweek reached out to the Earle-Sears campaign for comment via email.

Why It Matters

Virginia’s off-year election will be a key gauge for both parties ahead of the 2026 midterms, when Democrats are hoping for a 2018-style “blue wave” that will help them flip control of Congress.

Historically, the party out of the White House performs well in the race, so it will be a test of whether Republicans can buck historical trends. Democrats, meanwhile, are testing a centrist message with Spanberger, a moderate who served in a battleground House district from 2019 to 2025.

Virginia has shifted toward Democrats over the past 20 years, though Republicans have proved competitive in the state’s off-year gubernatorial races. Spanberger has carved out an early polling lead, but the latest Roanoke College poll suggested that lead has become smaller since its previous survey in May.

What To Know

The poll, which surveyed 702 Virginia residents from August 11 to August 15, 2025, found Spanberger leading Earle-Sears by seven points (46 percent to 39 percent), a narrower margin than the 17-point lead Spanberger held in the May poll (43 percent to 26 percent).

Fewer voters—14 percent—said they were undecided compared to May, when 28 percent were still unsure of for whom they would cast their ballot in November, the poll found.

Virginians still view Spanberger more favorably than Earle-Sears. Forty-four percent said they view the Democratic candidate favorably, while 38 percent said they view her unfavorably. Meanwhile, 36 percent said they view Earle-Sears favorably, and 43 percent viewed her unfavorably.

Democrats also held leads in the other statewide races. Democrat Ghazala Hashmi led Republican John Reid by three points in the lieutenant governor race (38 percent to 35 percent), while Democrat Jay Jones led Republican incumbent Jason Miyares in the attorney general race (41 percent to 38 percent).

The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.3 percentage points and was weighted to reflect the 2021 Virginia exit poll, a strong year for Republicans.

Other polls have similarly given Spanberger a lead. A Virginia Commonwealth University poll released in July showed Spanberger up 12 points (48 percent to 36 percent). It surveyed 809 adults, 764 of whom are registered to vote, from June 19, 2025, to July 3, 2025, and had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.16 percentage points.

A HarrisX poll of 1,000 likely voters from May 9 to May 13, 2025, showed Spanberger up four points (52 percent to 48 percent).

What People Are Saying

An Abigail Spanberger spokesperson told Newsweek: “Abigail Spanberger is laser-focused on addressing what are Virginians’ top-of-mind challenges — this poll makes that crystal clear. Abigail has spoken with Virginians across the Commonwealth who are being squeezed by high costs — and to get to work on day one to lower costs across the board for Virginians, Abigail laid out her Affordable Virginia Plan.

“To protect Virginians’ jobs, grow Virginia’s economy, and support Virginia’s workforce, Abigail will advance the priorities outlined in her Growing Virginia Plan. As Virginia’s next Governor, Abigail will continue to put petty political games aside, put Virginia first, and stand up to the chaos in Washington to deliver for the Commonwealth — because that’s the leadership Virginians deserve.”

Dr. Harry Wilson, interim director for IPOR and professor emeritus of political science at Roanoke College, wrote in the polling report: “The race for governor appears to be tightening, but Spanberger still leads. Many Republicans seem to have ‘come home’ to Earle-Sears since the May poll, but Spanberger’s voters are slightly more enthusiastic about voting and more certain of their vote.”

The Virginia GOP wrote in a post to X: “With 14 percent still undecided, the Roanoke poll shows that Earle-Sears has gained 12 points on Spanberger since May, and now holds the clear momentum in the race. As much as Abigail Spanberger has tried to hide her record of voting with Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi every time, voters just aren’t buying it.”

Analyst Drew Savicki wrote to X: “So the new VA gov poll is weighted to the exit poll of the 2021 gubernatorial race. The 2025 electorate will be considerably bluer.”

What Happens Next

The Virginia gubernatorial election is on November 4, 2025. Both the Cook Political Report and Sabato’s Crystal Ball classify the race as leaning toward Spanberger.

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By Paul Bedard
August 19, 2025

The race for governor in Virginia and other top positions in Richmond has tightened significantly over the summer, but Democrats continue to lead in the off-year election set for November 4.

The new Roanoke College Poll out Tuesday morning showed former Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger leading Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears by seven points, 46% to 39%.

That is a tighter race than the school’s May survey, with the liberal Spanberger leading 43% to 26%. Both candidates have increased their share of the vote, three points for the Democrat and 13 for Earle-Sears.

“The race for governor appears to be tightening, but Spanberger still leads,” said Harry Wilson, interim director for the Institute for Policy and Opinion Research at Roanoke College.

He said the survey showed that Republicans have jumped on board the Earle-Sears campaign after her lackluster start.

“Many Republicans seem to have ‘come home’ to Earle-Sears since the May poll, but Spanberger’s voters are slightly more enthusiastic about voting and more certain of their vote,” said Wilson.

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by Julia Manchester – 08/19/25 9:56 AM ET

Former Rep. Abigail Spanberger’s (D-Va.) lead over Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears (R) in the state’s gubernatorial race is narrowing, according to polling from Roanoke College.

Spanberger leads Earle-Sears 46 percent to 39 percent among likely voters in the poll released Tuesday; 14 percent of voters said they were undecided, while 1 percent said they would vote for someone else. The previous Roanoke College poll of the race was released in May and showed Spanberger leading 43 percent to 26 percent, and the latest polling average released earlier this month by The Hill’s partners at Decision Desk HQ shows Spanberger leading Earle-Sears 45.2 percent to 36 percent.

Seventy-six percent of likely voters said they were “very certain” of their choice for governor, while 21 percent said they were “somewhat certain.” 

Virginia Republicans have sounded the alarm about their chances in the gubernatorial race, pointing to Earle-Sears significantly trailing Spanberger in fundraising and polls.

However, the Roanoke College poll showed that the closest races in Virginia’s off-year elections continue to be the lieutenant governor and attorney general contests.

Virginia state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi (D) leads Republican John Reid in the race to replace Earle-Sears 38 percent to 35 percent, while former Del. Jay Jones (D) leads incumbent Attorney General Jason Miyares (R) 41 percent to 38 percent.

The latest Roanoke College poll was conducted Aug. 11-15 among 702 Virginia residents. The margin of error among all poll respondents is 4.3 percent, while the margin of error for likely voters is 4.39 percent. 

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By Charolette Rene Woods
August 18, 2025

In Virginia’s governor’s race, the candidates aren’t just preparing to debate — they’ve been debating whether to debate.

Democratic gubernatorial nominee Abigail Spanberger announced Monday that she has accepted a debate set for Oct. 9, hosted by Norfolk State University and WAVY-TV. 

Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, the Republican nominee, had already agreed last Friday, according to a press release that her campaign said it had shared with reporters, but that The Mercury did not receive at the time.

“Spanberger hasn’t debated since she first ran for Congress,” the release said.

After flipping a previously-Republican-held district in 2018, Spanberger defended the seat for two more terms, debating one of the challengers. When challenged by former state delegate Nick Freitas, she debated him. During her second reelection campaign, she did withdraw from a planned debate against challenger Yesli Vega in 2022 over security concerns and disagreements about the moderator. 

During the 2025 election cycle for governor, both Spanberger and Earle-Sears have passed on some debate opportunities. 

Last week, Earle-Sears declined to participate in the “People’s Debate,” which would have been hosted at Virginia State University with AARP Virginia and WTVR-TV, citing a scheduling conflict.

While Spanberger had agreed to that forum, her campaign declined a CNN-hosted debate,  saying that any debates should be carried by state and local media — the outlets a governor would work with most often. 

“We believe that debates about Virginia’s future should be rooted in Virginia, produced by Virginia media, and accessible to Virginians across the commonwealth,” her campaign manager told CNN recently. 

Peyton Vogel, a spokesperson for Earle-Sears emphasized in a text message to The Mercury Monday that her campaign had agreed to the Norfolk debate first,  sharing a screenshot of last week’s announcement. 

Meanwhile, Spanberger’s Monday statement declared that she “is ready to debate the issues.”

Political analyst Bob Holsworth said it’s not surprising to see candidates and their consultants showing “less interest in debates, because these are events where they don’t control the narrative.” 

Holsworth added he was surprised Earle-Sears, who has trailed Spanberger in fundraising and polling so far this year, didn’t demand debates earlier in the campaign and remained silent when her running-mate, John Reid, pressed Democratic lieutenant governor nominee Ghazala Hashmi to debate. 

On Spanberger’s moves, he said she “adopted a conventional front runner strategy” by limiting the amount of debates and choosing the venues.

By avoiding the CNN debate, she was also able to sidestep nationally focused moderators asking her about Democrats such as U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY, and Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City — two progressive members of their party that more moderate Democrats have had to contend with. 

Both candidates have accused the other of being “too extreme” for Virginia. But on Oct. 9, they will have a chance to lay out competing visions for the state and challenge each other’s ideas. While both women have highlighted plans to strengthen Virginia’s economy, their party affiliations point to sharp differences in approach. 

The stakes this year extend beyond the governor’s race. The lieutenant governor, attorney general and all 100 seats in the House of Delegates are also on the ballot. Whether Democrats hold their majority in the legislature could determine the future of a proposed constitutional amendment to protect reproductive rights in Virginia. 

While bipartisan support has advanced measures to restore voting rights to ex-felons who’ve completed their sentences and to protect same-sex marriage, the reproductive rights amendment only cleared the legislature because Democrats are in control. If lawmakers pass it again next year, voters would decide its fate at the ballot box. 

As for which woman might become Virginia’s top executive next year, Holsworth said ultimately voters may better know them through commercials and social media than through debates — where candidates face tough questions in high-stakes settings. 

“This is increasingly the way of contemporary campaigns, and it’s not surprising that the public is frustrated with this trend,” he said.

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Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears shares about her immigration story from Jamaica, the NYC mayor’s race, her gubernatorial run and more on ‘My View.’

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By Christina Lewis
August 15, 2025

As Virginia’s gubernatorial race presses on, Republican nominee Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears continues to try to define her opponent, Democrat nominee Abigail Spanberger. The Earle-Sears campaign released two ads Wednesday that aim to reveal what it considers is Spanberger’s true identity.

In one of the ads, titled “Forward,” the Republican candidate and Marine Corps veteran warned Virginians that Spanberger’s policies were closely aligned with the leftward leanings of the Democratic Party: “Four years ago, we rejected career politicians and sent a message: Move Virginia forward. But Abigail Spanberger is a Washington insider who voted with [former House Speaker Nancy] Pelosi and [President Joe] Biden every single time.”

On Wednesday, Spanberger touted her law-and-order credentials after she received an endorsement from the Virginia Police Benevolent Association, the largest organization representing police officers in Virginia.

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By Charolette Rene Woods
August 15, 2025

Virginia Republican gubernatorial candidate Winsome Earle-Sears dropped by an American Legion office in Midlothian on Thursday, a stop on her “Operation Defend and Deliver” campaign event series.

She and U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Westmoreland, emphasized their aim to elevate the lieutenant governor to the executive mansion next year and flip the House of Delegates to their party’s control.

Earle-Sears’ speech was partially a victory lap touting Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration and a projected $4.7 billion cash cushion for next year that the governor announced Thursday. It was also an echo of Youngkin’s winning 2021 campaign themes, like parental oversight concerning their children’s education and support for law enforcement.

“Parents still matter!” she said enthusiastically as the crowd of about 100 cheered.

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