On his first visit to Virginia since returning to the White House, President Trump notably sidestepped the state’s closely watched gubernatorial showdown between Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears and Democratic nominee Abigail Spanberger.
Virginia’s off-year gubernatorial elections have long served as political bellwethers, often delivering early verdicts on a president’s second-term trajectory. This year appears no different.
With polls showing Ms. Spanberger holding a solid lead just weeks before Election Day, Mr. Trump’s silence may be a calculated move to insulate himself from potential embarrassment should Ms. Earle-Sears stumble in the final stretch.
The irony is hard to miss: Ms. Spanberger has spent months casting Ms. Earle-Sears as a loyal foot soldier for Trump-era policies — tariffs, government downsizing, and healthcare cuts — that she argues are hurting Virginia’s workers, families and economy.
Yet Mr. Trump’s weekend visit to Norfolk Naval Station, where he marked the Navy’s 250th anniversary, included no public show of support for Ms. Earle-Sears, a former Marine. He acknowledged several attendees but pointedly left her out.
The same pattern played out online. Mr. Trump lavished praise on Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, offering a full-throated endorsement of his re-election campaign.
Mr. Trump also called for Mr. Miyares’ Democratic challenger, Jay Jones, to exit the race following the release of text messages in which Mr. Jones joked about killing the then-Republican speaker of the Virginia House.
Mr. Trump did briefly address the gubernatorial race — only to label Ms. Spanberger “weak and ineffective.”
Ms. Earle-Sears, meanwhile, struck a celebratory tone Sunday on social media, calling it a “great and beautiful day” to honor the Navy’s milestone alongside Mr. Trump, first lady Melania Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Democrats are hoping to emerge with bragging rights from the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial races after a brutal 2024 election.
Virginia has posed challenges for Mr. Trump.
In the 2024 election, Vice President Kamala Harris outpaced him by nearly 6 percentage points. Four years earlier, Mr. Trump lost Virginia to President Joseph R. Biden by a 10-percentage-point margin, reinforcing its reputation as unfriendly terrain for the MAGA movement.
Meanwhile, the MAGA faithful who have supported Mr. Trump through thick and thin have struggled to trust Ms. Earle-Sears since she made it clear following the 2022 midterms that Mr. Trump should exit the stage.
“What we saw was, even though he wasn’t on the ballot, he was, because he stepped in and endorsed candidates,” Ms.. Earle-Sears told The Washington Post at the time. “And yet, it turns out that those he did not endorse on the same ticket did better than the ones he did endorse.”
“That gives you a clue that the voters want to move on,” she said. “And a true leader knows when they have become a liability to the mission.”
The Earle-Sears campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.