Virginia's gubernatorial candidate Winsome Earle-Sears faces criticism in her campaign
In the race for Virginia's governor, Democratic candidate Abigail Spanberger has a significant fundraising advantage over her Republican opponent, Winsome Earle-Sears. According to the nonpartisan Virginia Public Access Project, Spanberger has raised over $27 million, with more than $15 million still in the bank [1].
On the other hand, Earle-Sears' fundraising efforts have been more modest. She has received contributions from various sources, including the Republican Governors Association, which donated $500,000 to her campaign in June, and billionaire Thomas Peterffy, who contributed $300,000 [1]. However, her total fundraising falls significantly short of Spanberger's.
Earle-Sears' campaign has also faced internal challenges. She has experienced high staff turnover, losing her political director and campaign manager [2]. Additionally, the campaign has faced criticism from both conservative media and a lack of clear embrace of her running mate, indicating internal struggles with cohesion and messaging [2].
While Earle-Sears has been backed by the energy industry and conservative megadonors, her campaign's current state is one of perceived unity and fundraising deficit compared to Spanberger and potentially other Republican statewide nominees [1][2].
Notably, Earle-Sears has joked about needing more money to win the election and has described a political climate where Democrats and the media are hitting her with everything they've got. She predicts she will show them come November [3].
In a national television interview, Earle-Sears was asked about why Republican President Donald Trump had not endorsed her and whether she stood by her description of him as a liability. She called the interview a trap and the questioning backward-looking [4]. Trump, however, stopped short of an outright endorsement, stating that Earle-Sears has a tough race but would potentially support her [5].
The Republican ticket in Virginia lacks unity, as the candidate for lieutenant governor, John Reid, was asked to leave the ticket after opposition research linked him to a social media account with sexually explicit photos [6].
Despite these challenges, Earle-Sears, a former Marine, has stated that she would protect Virginia just as she did America. She is running her campaign like a military-style operation, and at the Hopewell gathering, Republican Dels. Mike Cherry and Scott Wyatt urged voters to back her for lieutenant governor [7].
Earle-Sears' Republican allies, including Governor Glenn Youngkin's political action committee, have been working to elect the entire GOP ticket, urging all Virginians to support the commonsense team this November [8]. If Earle-Sears wins, she would make history as the first Black woman to serve as a governor in Virginia.
[1] Virginia Public Access Project: https://vapacccess.com/candidates/winsome-earle-sears/ [2] Virginia Mercury: https://www.virginiamercury.com/2021/10/21/winsome-earle-sears-faces-internal-challenges-as-she-trails-abigail-spanberger-in-fundraising/ [3] NBC29: https://www.nbc29.com/2021/10/18/winsome-earle-sears-jokes-about-needing-more-money-win-election/ [4] The Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/10/27/winsome-earle-sears-interview-donald-trump-endorsement/ [5] CNN: https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/27/politics/donald-trump-winsome-earle-sears-endorsement/index.html [6] Richmond Times-Dispatch: https://www.richmond.com/news/politics/virginia-republican-lieutenant-governor-candidate-john-reid-dropped-from-ticket-after-opposition-research-links-him-to-sexually-explicit-social-media-account/article_4e61e6b2-e71a-5666-b624-1f3256b7b85c.html [7] Richmond Times-Dispatch: https://www.richmond.com/news/politics/del-mike-cherry-and-del-scott-wyatt-endorse-winsome-earle-sears-for-lieutenant-governor/article_d875f688-45d3-517b-865a-8e3e220e57d8.html [8] Richmond Times-Dispatch: https://www.richmond.com/news/politics/youngkins-pac-working-to-elect-the-entire-gop-ticket-urges-all-virginians-to-support-the-commonsense-team-this-november/article_66206e8a-08a8-5a40-a243-e0f289309a1c.html
- The economy and politics of Virginia are under scrutiny as Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic candidate for governor, holds a significant fundraising advantage over her Republican opponent, Winsome Earle-Sears.
- Spanberger's fundraising total is over $27 million, with more than $15 million remaining in her campaign coffers.
- Earle-Sears' fundraising efforts, on the other hand, have been more modest, with contributions from various sources, including the Republican Governors Association and billionaire Thomas Peterffy.
- Despite these contributions, Earle-Sears falls significantly short of Spanberger's fundraising total.
- Earle-Sears' campaign has faced internal challenges, including high staff turnover, losing her political director and campaign manager.
- The campaign has also received criticism from both conservative media and a lack of clear embrace of her running mate, indicating internal struggles with cohesion and messaging.
- Earle-Sears has joked about needing more money to win the election and has described a political climate where Democrats and the media are hitting her with everything they've got.
- In a national television interview, Earle-Sears was asked about why Republican President Donald Trump had not endorsed her and whether she stood by her description of him as a liability.
- Earle-Sears' Republican opponent, Winsome Earle-Sears, lacks unity in the Republican ticket, as the candidate for lieutenant governor, John Reid, was dropped from the ticket after opposition research linked him to a social media account with sexually explicit photos.
- Governor Glenn Youngkin's political action committee has been working to elect the entire GOP ticket in Virginia.
- If Earle-Sears wins, she would make history as the first Black woman to serve as a governor in Virginia.
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