Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears is fighting to define former Rep. Abigail Spanberger in the Virginia gubernatorial race as a far-left liberal by highlighting stances she has taken on transgender issues that have hurt Democrats at the ballot box.
Ms. Earle-Sears unveiled a TV ad Tuesday — weeks out from the start of early voting — that kicks off with a female narrator asking viewers: “How liberal is Abigail Spanberger?”
“She voted to allow men in girls’ sports, bathrooms and locker rooms,” the narrator says, citing a 2021 House vote. “And if a child secretly identifies as transgender at school, she says that parents shouldn’t be told.”
The narrator adds: “That is insane. Spanberger is for they, them, not for us.”
Ms. Spanberger, a Democrat, has consistently led Ms. Earle-Sears, a Republican, in the polls ahead of November’s election. However, a recent survey showed the race has tightened as the candidates shift into the post-Labor Day sprint.
With early voting starting Sept. 19 and their only scheduled debate penciled in for three weeks later, the candidates are scrambling to define each other before their rival does it for them.
A former intelligence officer who served in the House from 2019 to 2025, Ms. Spanbeger is running as a pragmatic problem-solver.
The married mother of three has focused on making life more affordable for Virginians and has been critical of President Trump’s efforts to downsize the federal workforce.
“President Trump’s continued attacks on Virginia’s federal workforce are hurting Virginians and their families, undermining nonpartisan public service and threatening the strength of Virginia’s economy,” Ms. Spanberger said over the weekend after he issued a new executive order targeting federal collective bargaining agreements.
Ms. Earle-Sears has recently turned to trans issues as she tries to challenge the centrist image Ms. Spanberger has projected on the campaign trail.
The strategy has helped Republicans in recent elections.
Mr. Trump’s campaign rallies featured clips from the movie “Full Metal Jacket” to mock transgender individuals in the military.
Ms. Earl-Sears, who served as an electrician in the U.S. Marines, is weaving her criticisms of Ms. Spanberger’s record on transgender issues into a broader pro-parent message — the kind that helped her boss, Glenn Youngkin, win the governor’s mansion four years ago.
“Abigail Spanberger supports nude men in girls’ locker rooms and schools transitioning our children,” the lieutenant governor wrote in a recent post on X. “When I’m Governor, girls will be safe, parents will be respected, and ideology won’t trump common sense.”
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.