Related video: Va. Gov. Candidate Spanberger (D) WON’T Retract Endorsement For Jones After Text Scandal

NORFOLK, Va. — Former Rep. Abigail Spanberger’s (D-Va.) gubernatorial campaign is targeting Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears (R) over recently resurfaced remarks about abortion hours before the race’s first and only debate on Thursday. 

The 30-second spot, titled “More Disturbing,” features audio from an interview Earle-Sears did in 2022 on now-Republican lieutenant governor nominee John Reid’s radio show in which Earle-Sears equates abortion to murder. Liberal media organization Meidas Touch unearthed the audio on Wednesday. 

“I don’t care whether you’re Libertarian, Democrat, Reform Party, Green. I don’t care who you are. Murder is murder, and one day it’s going to be your turn,” Earle-Sears says in the clip. 

In Spanberger’s ad, the narrator says when Earle-Sears speaks, “it gets more disturbing.” 

“She talks about violence against those who disagree with her,” the narrator continues, claiming Earle-Sears was talking about the murder of people who support abortion rights. 

The Hill was the first outlet to view the ad. 

The spot is the latest in what appears to be an ad war between the two campaigns in the wake of the fallout over leaked text messages from Democratic attorney general nominee Jay Jones in which he talked about hypothetically using violence against the former GOP state House Speaker.

Earle-Sears has rolled out two ads tying Spanberger to the texting controversy, including one that is a part of a $1 million ad buy in the Washington, D.C., media market. 

Spanberger swiftly condemned Jones’s texts after they surfaced on Friday, saying in a statement that she conveyed her “disgust” over the comments to Jones.

The issue is expected take center stage at Thursday’s debate. But Spanberger is likely going to go on offense against Earle-Sears over the issue of abortion access in Virginia.  

The Decision Desk HQ polling average shows Spanberger leading Earle-Sears by 7.6 points.