Latest news with #Earle-Sears
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Virginia gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger releases first ad, slams 'political nonsense'
The Virginia Democrat running to replace Gov. Glenn Youngkin released her first TV ad Thursday slamming what she described as "political nonsense" in public service. "Too many politicians talk when they should listen. And divide instead of unite. Enough is enough. I'm Abigail Spanberger. I believe that public service is too important for political nonsense," the former U.S. House representative said. "When I was in law enforcement and then working counterterrorism at CIA, we didn't do politics. We did our jobs. I broke down some of the divides, stood up to both parties and was named the most bipartisan member of Congress from Virginia," she added. "As governor, I'll work to lower costs, let people keep more of their money and make Virginia schools the best in the nation." Spanberger is running against Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, a Republican, in this November's gubernatorial race. "The dishonesty is astounding. Spanberger spent years in Congress casting votes that made life in America more expensive, more dangerous, and more chaotic. Now she's banking on slick TV ads to rewrite her history, but Virginians aren't buying it – they can spot a Washington fraud when they see one," Peyton Vogel, the press secretary for Earle-Sears, told Fox News Digital. Democrat Gubernatorial Candidate Blasted For Meltdown Over 'Shocking' Ice Arrest Of 2 Criminal Illegal Immigrants Read On The Fox News App A representative for Youngkin did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. Spanberger has faced pushback from both Earle-Sears and the Department of Homeland Security after condemning the "shocking" execution of an ICE raid at a Virginia courthouse in April that netted two criminal illegal immigrants. "I think what we've seen most shocking, including here in Charlottesville, has been cases where people haven't provided identification and have been in some cases masked and in plain clothes," Spanberger told the Daily Progress earlier this month, after an ICE raid at Albemarle County Courthouse led to the arrest of two illegal immigrants. Former Congresswoman Turned Va Gubernatorial Candidate Accused Of Ethics Violation Earle-Sears press secretary Peyton Vogel later told Fox News Digital that "Abigail Spanberger's outrage over criminal illegal immigrants being taken off our streets is everything Virginians need to know about what kind of governor she'd be -- criminals first, victims last." The Earle-Sears campaign has also accused Spanberger of failing to include her role as a trustee in financial disclosure reports while she was a member of Congress. The campaign for Earle-Sears called the incomplete disclosures "a calculated lie," not an "accident." But, according to Spanberger's campaign, the only asset contained in the trust is Spanberger's personal residence, which is not required to be disclosed. Fox News Digital's Andrew Mark Miller and Alec Schemmel contributed to this report. Original article source: Virginia gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger releases first ad, slams 'political nonsense'
Fox News
4 days ago
- Business
- Fox News
Virginia gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger releases first ad, slams 'political nonsense'
The Virginia Democrat running to replace Gov. Glenn Youngkin released her first TV ad Thursday slamming what she described as "political nonsense" in public service. "Too many politicians talk when they should listen. And divide instead of unite. Enough is enough. I'm Abigail Spanberger. I believe that public service is too important for political nonsense," the former U.S. House representative said. "When I was in law enforcement and then working counterterrorism at CIA, we didn't do politics. We did our jobs. I broke down some of the divides, stood up to both parties and was named the most bipartisan member of Congress from Virginia," she added. "As governor, I'll work to lower costs, let people keep more of their money and make Virginia schools the best in the nation." Spanberger is running against Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, a Republican, in this November's gubernatorial race. Representatives for both Youngkin and Earle-Sears did not immediately respond Thursday to requests for comment from Fox News Digital. Spanberger has faced pushback from both Earle-Sears and the Department of Homeland Security after condemning the "shocking" execution of an ICE raid at a Virginia courthouse in April that netted two criminal illegal immigrants. "I think what we've seen most shocking, including here in Charlottesville, has been cases where people haven't provided identification and have been in some cases masked and in plain clothes," Spanberger told the Daily Progress earlier this month, after an ICE raid at Albemarle County Courthouse led to the arrest of two illegal immigrants. Earle-Sears press secretary Peyton Vogel later told Fox News Digital that "Abigail Spanberger's outrage over criminal illegal immigrants being taken off our streets is everything Virginians need to know about what kind of governor she'd be -- criminals first, victims last." The Earle-Sears campaign has also accused Spanberger of failing to include her role as a trustee in financial disclosure reports while she was a member of Congress. The campaign for Earle-Sears called the incomplete disclosures "a calculated lie," not an "accident." But, according to Spanberger's campaign, the only asset contained in the trust is Spanberger's personal residence, which is not required to be disclosed.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New poll shows Spanberger with 17-point lead over Earle-Sears
Former U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger (left), and Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears. (Photos by Parker Michels-Boyce and Mechelle Hankerson for the Virginia Mercury) Former congresswoman and Democratic nominee for governor Abigail Spanberger fared better with voters than current lieutenant governor and Republican nominee Winsome Earle-Sears, according to a Roanoke College poll released Thursday showing Spanberger leading Earle-Sears 43%-26%. This follows another poll published this week showing Spanberger with a 4-point lead over Earle-Sears. The Institute for Policy and Opinion Research at Roanoke College interviewed 658 Virginia residents between May 12 and May 19 to determine that Spanberger leads Earle-Sears by 17 percentage points. Meanwhile, another new poll commissioned by business organization Virginia FREE conducted between May 9 and May 13 shows independent voters favoring Spanberger by 53%-47%. That poll included 1,000 participants. The Roanoke College poll's margin of error is 5.25%. While the sample sizes of the polls is much smaller than the number of people who are likely to participate in November's statewide election, polls conducted sporadically leading up to elections can point to partisan tides. The Roanoke College poll also explored key issues that could affect both campaigns such as the national deficit and debt, political anxiety and the job approval of the current president and governor. More than half of polled voters, 51%, think ' things in Virginia have gotten off on the wrong track,' while 66% held the same sentiment about the country as a whole. Voters also had mixed feelings about leadership in the state and country, with Gov. Glenn Youngkin's job approval rating coming in at 46%, which Roanoke College noted as 'his lowest and down seven points since November.' President Donald Trump's job approval rating, 31%, was low but not his lowest. Participants also weighed in with their approval and disapproval of Youngkin's successor. Spanberger rated 41% favorable/40% unfavorable, similar to how polled voters rated her last November, while Earle-Sears' favorability dropped from her previous rating and stands at 32% favorable/48% unfavorable. About one-fifth of respondents did not offer opinions on either candidates' favorability. The voter anxiety index from the Roanoke poll is 89.41, and reflects big shifts in how Virginians in both parties perceive the current state of government. Democratic voters' anxiety skyrocketed from -10.39 in May 2024 to 101.77 last November, with a current anxiety index of 153.35. Meanwhile, Republican voters' anxiety index decreased last year, from 166.59 in May to 13.52 in November 2024, and now stands at -30.10. These figures reflect that political anxiety correlates closely with partisan control of the White House and Congress. With Virginia's gubernatorial election falling the year after a presidential election, the past two decades have shown that voters typically elect a governor who is the opposite party of the one who won the White House the year prior. On national debt perceptions, a large majority of Virginians, 42%, are very concerned, while 40% said they are somewhat concerned. When it comes to the cause of the national deficit, a majority, 61%, thinks it is a result of spending too much, while 34% think it's from not raising enough money through taxes. When asked how to address the deficit, 74% of respondents favor raising taxes for people earning more than $400,000 annually, while 82% oppose across-the-board tax raises for everyone. Seventy-one percent of respondents oppose wholesale spending cuts. 'Six months in a gubernatorial election season is an eternity in politics, but one would prefer to be ahead by 17 points,' said Dr. Harry Wilson, interim director for IPOR and professor emeritus of political science at Roanoke College. He added that more than a quarter of Virginians are still undecided voters — which could be good news for both candidates. 'Spanberger is obviously leading at this point, and she leads among independents, but a large number of Republicans are undecided, and they will most likely end up voting for Earle-Sears,' Wilson said. 'The favorable rating for Earle-Sears, however, should be cause for concern.'SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Newsweek
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Abigail Spanberger's Chances of Beating Republicans in Virginia—New Polls
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Former Representative Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat, holds a lead over Republican Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears in two new polls of the Virginia gubernatorial race released on Thursday. Newsweek reached out to the Spanberger and Earle-Sears campaigns for comment via email. Why It Matters Virginia's gubernatorial election will be an early bellwether for Republicans about President Donald Trump's popularity ahead of the 2026 midterms. Historically, the party that lost the presidency is favored in the state's off-year elections, but the GOP is hoping Earle-Sears can deliver a victory following Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin's victory four years earlier. The election will also test whether Democrats can win back key voter groups that shifted toward Republicans in the 2024 election, including Hispanic and Gen Z voters. Old Dominion was once a Republican-leaning state, but suburban shifts and growth in the northern region of the state propelled it leftward over the past two decades. Last November, former Vice President Kamala Harris carried the state by less than six points, down from former President Joe Biden's 10-point win in 2020. What to Know Two new polls showed Spanberger, a centrist Democrat who served in Congress from 2019 to 2024, with a lead in the state's gubernatorial race. Former Representative Abigail Spanberger speaks during an Everytown for Gun Safety rally in Alexandria, Virginia on April 10, 2025. Former Representative Abigail Spanberger speaks during an Everytown for Gun Safety rally in Alexandria, Virginia on April 10, 2025.A Roanoke College poll, which surveyed 658 Virginians from May 12 to May 19, 2025, found Spanberger with a double-digit lead. Forty-three percent of respondents said they intend to vote for her in November, compared to only 26 percent who said they would vote for Earle-Sears. Forty-one percent of Virginians view Spanberger favorably, compared to 40 percent who view her unfavorably, according to the survey. Meanwhile, 32 percent view Earle-Sears favorably, compared to 48 percent who view her unfavorably. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 5.25 percentage points. The survey also found Governor Youngkin's favorability rating is at its worst ever. Fifty percent of respondents said they view him unfavorably, while 50 percent view him favorably, the poll found. Meanwhile, 64 percent of respondents viewed Trump unfavorably, while 33 percent view him favorably. However, a poll commissioned by business advocacy group Virginia FREE and conducted by Pantheon/HarrisX pointed to a closer race. That poll found Spanberger leading by only four points—52 percent of voters supporting her, and 48 percent backing Earle-Sears. It found that 54 percent of Virginians approve of Youngkin, while 41 percent disapprove. Meanwhile, 56 percent disapprove of Trump, and 44 percent approve of him. The poll surveyed 1,000 likely voters from May 9 to May 13, 2025, and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. Spanberger's lead is, in part, because she is "closer to the center of Virginia politics," Jeremy Mayer, associate professor at George Mason's Schar School of Policy and Government, told Newsweek. "Republicans are going to try to paint her as far left from now until November. If they succeed, these numbers will get a lot tighter," he said. Trump is also a "huge weight" on Virginia Republicans, he said, pointing to the administration's cut to the federal government. Many residents of Northern Virginia were employed by the federal government, so the cuts "resonate so strongly with many voters in a negative way that he is hurting the GOP brand," Mayer said. Mayer noted that one point of concern for Democrats may be that Earle-Sears received 32 percent of Black voters in the Virginia FREE poll. "If that continues, or intensifies, the Democrats could see this race slip away. So Spanberger needs to figure out a way to stop the bleeding of Black support away from the Democrats," he said. What People Are Saying Dr. Harry Wilson, interim director for Roanoke College's Institute for Policy and Opinion Research, wrote in the poll write-up: "Six months in a gubernatorial election season is an eternity in politics, but one would prefer to be ahead by 17 points. More than a quarter of Virginians are undecided, and there is good news for both candidates. Spanberger is obviously leading at this point, and she leads among independents, but a large number of Republicans are undecided, and they will most likely end up voting for Earle-Sears. The favorable rating for Earle-Sears, however, should be cause for concern." Mayer told Newsweek: "The biggest issue so far is Trump, whether the candidates want to acknowledge it or not. He is absorbing all the oxygen in American politics right now. Most Virginia gubernatorial elections are buffeted by national tides, but this year, those tides are closer to a tsunami. That could change—Trump could morph into a more normal president, the radical cuts and dramatic rise in tariffs could recede or retreat, but unless that happens, or some other statewide issue rises up, this will be a referendum on Trump more than anything." What Happens Next The Virginia gubernatorial election will be held on November 4, 2025. The Cook Political Report currently classifies the race as Lean Democratic, meaning it is "considered competitive" but that Democrats do have "an advantage."
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Virginia poll shows public against tariffs, DOGE cuts and more state headlines
The state Capitol. (Photo by Ned Oliver/Virginia Mercury) • 'Virginia Republicans worry about their gubernatorial candidate who invoked slavery when criticizing DEI.' — Politico • 'Virginia poll shows public against tariffs, DOGE cuts.' — Richmond Times-Dispatch • 'Earle-Sears declines to say if she'll sign a bill limiting abortion access if elected governor.' — WRIC • 'Griffith's bill proposes work requirements for Virginia Medicaid expansion recipients.' — WSET • 'US Capitol rioter who smashed Speaker's Lobby door charged with burglary in Virginia.' — WTOP News SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
