Latest news with #WinsomeEarle-Sears
Yahoo
11-08-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Monday's Campaign Round-Up, 8.11.25: Democrats' lead grows in the race for Congress
Today's installment of campaign-related news items from across the country. * When it comes to partisan gerrymandering, Republican officials in Florida are moving forward with plans for a mid-decade redistricting scheme, but GOP officials in New Hampshire are not. * Looking ahead to next year's midterm elections, the latest CNBC poll found the Democratic advantage over Republicans growing from two points in April to five points now. * With 12 weeks remaining before Virginia's gubernatorial race, a Republican-aligned super PAC recently launched an ad claiming that Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears 'fought for our freedom overseas.' That's not quite right: The Republican lieutenant governor served in the Marine Corps as a diesel mechanic in the 1980s, but she wasn't deployed to any foreign battlefields. * In South Carolina's U.S. Senate race, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham was facing two credible primary rivals, but now he's down to one: André Bauer, the state's former lieutenant governor, ended his candidacy late last week. Paul Dans, the architect of the conservative Project 2025 blueprint, is now the incumbent senator's principal rival. * Speaking of Senate candidates dropping out, Michigan's crowded Democratic field because a little less crowded Friday, with former state House Speaker Joe Tate announcing that he's exiting the race. Rep. Haley Stevens, state Sen. Mallory McMorrow and public health official Abdul El-Sayed are considered the top contenders in next year's Democratic primary. * In related news, in North Carolina's Senate race, Andy Nilsson was seeking the Republican nomination, but after Donald Trump endorsed Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley's candidacy, Nilsson pulled the plug on his statewide campaign. * In California, a whole lot of Democrats are vying for the right to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom, but his lieutenant governor, Eleni Kounalakis, won't be one of them: On Friday, she dropped out of the race, announcing that she will instead run for state treasurer next year. * And on Capitol Hill, the race among Senate Democrats to replace retiring Minority Whip Dick Durbin appears to be effectively over: Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii has locked up Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer's support, vastly improving his odds of success. This article was originally published on
Toronto Star
10-08-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Star
Republican Winsome Earle-Sears is on the defensive in Virginia's race for governor
Republican Winsome Earle-Sears greets voters at her military-themed rally at Saucy's Sit-Down Bar.B.Q in Hopewell, Va., on Aug. 1, 2025. (AP Photo/Olivia Diaz) flag wire: true flag sponsored: false article_type: : sWebsitePrimaryPublication : publications/toronto_star bHasMigratedAvatar : false :
The Hill
20-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Winsome Earle-Sears, John Reid speak to each other for first time in weeks
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — After not speaking to each other for eight weeks, Republican nominees Winsome Earle-Sears and John Reid have spoken to each other. Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, the Republican nominee for Virginia's governor, spoke to John Reid, the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor, on Wednesday after eight weeks since they last spoke, according to a source familiar with the situation. The Republican Party of Virginia posted to X on Wednesday, the day after the primaries, that Virginia Republicans are 'UNITED behind our ticket and ready to FIGHT and WIN this November,' with photos of Earle-Sears, Reid and Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares. Earle-Sears is facing Democrat Abigail Spanberger in the race for governor, and Reid is facing state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, the Democratic nominee, in the race for lieutenant governor. This follows controversy surrounding Reid and a call by Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) urging him to step down after Youngkin learned that Reid may be connected to a Tumblr account that previously shared sexually explicit images. Reid said the account isn't his. This week's primaries were a historic moment for Virginia, with Reid being the first openly gay man to receive a major party's endorsement for statewide office in the state. In addition, Virginia is set to get its first female governor. Further, Hashmi is the first Muslim and the first Indian-American to be nominated to appear on the ballot for a Virginia statewide office.
Toronto Star
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Star
Democrats in Virginia have a hefty fundraising advantage heading into November general election
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Democrats in Virginia have built up a hefty fundraising advantage for their effort to reclaim the governor's mansion in a November election that is seen as a bellwether for the party in power in Washington ahead of the 2026 midterms. Democrat Abigail Spanberger, a former CIA spy turned congresswoman, has a more than 2-to-1 fundraising advantage over her GOP opponent for governor, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, who has struggled to draw support from her fellow Republicans. Both were unopposed for their party's nominations and were able to focus on the fall general election without having to overcome a challenge in this week's primaries. The match-up means Virginia is all but certain to elect the state's first female governor.
USA Today
17-06-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Virginia primary day: What to know
Virginia primary day: What to know November's winner will make history as the first female governor of Virginia: Abigail Spanberger for the Democrats or Winsome Earle-Sears for the GOP Show Caption Hide Caption Watch Gov. Glenn Youngkin's full Republican National Convention speech Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin delivered an address at the 2024 Republican National Convention. Virginians are heading to the polls in one of this year's banner election fights where President Donald Trump's name isn't on the ballot but his second-term policies are very much top of voters' minds. The most consequential of the June 17 primary races center around who will be the next governor of the Old Dominion, a state that has seen its share of the federal government workforce shrink at the hands of Trump and former DOGE leader Elon Musk. Both of Virginia's expected major party nominees - former Rep. Abigail Spanberger for the Democrats and Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears for the Republicans - ran unopposed in their respective primaries and are readying for a general election race over the next five months that's expected to showcase a sharp contrast in approaches to working with the Trump White House. Whoever wins will make history as the first female governor of Virginia. More: A critical 2025 election race takes shape: 3 big takeaways from NJ primary Nationwide, politicos will be paying close attention to the results in both Virginia and New Jersey - the two states that hold gubernatorial contests that tap into voters' moods in the immediate odd year after a presidential election and before the midterms. Notably, the party opposite to whomever is currently in the White House has a history of winning the Virginia governor's mansion and the right to serve a single non-consecutive term. In a dozen governor races over the last 50 years, only once has a candidate from the same party as the sitting president won in Virginia - Democrat Terry McAuliffe in November 2013 while President Barack Obama was in his second term. Governor's race set Of the six statewide primary races in Virginia, only two feature more than one candidate on the June 17 ballot. Republicans have long had their nominee for governor in Earle-Sears, the 61-year old first female woman of color to hold statewide office in Virginia. She locked down her spot after the only would-be competitor, former state Sen. Amanda Chase, failed to get enough signatures to qualify for the ballot. The GOP similarly already knows who its November general election candidates are for lieutenant governor - conservative radio host John Reid - and attorney general, the incumbent Jason Miyares. The Democrats are in the same boat for governor: 45-year-old Spanberger secured her spot back on April 3 after no other candidates emerged by that day's filing deadline. A former CIA officer who served three terms in Congress, Spanberger built a reputation on Capitol Hill as a moderate member of the centrist "Blue Dog" coalition. Her early jump into campaigning beginning in November 2023, and prolific fundraising, may have given Spanberger the advantage needed to discourage any potential challengers from even trying, said Professor David Richards, chair of the political science department at the University of Lynchburg. "It just became apparent that if you were going to challenge her, it was going to be very difficult," Richards said. Earle-Sears has long held the advantage among Republicans as the No. 2 under incumbent GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who because of Virginia's unique law cannot serve consecutive terms. Her only blip of competition came from Chase, who billed herself as "Trump in heels" and challenged Earle-Sears as not MAGA enough for the GOP nomination. Federal workers flashpoint Democrats in Virginia are hoping Trump's decisions next door in Washington, D.C., will help to curry them favor in the state's election − particularly his cuts to the federal workforce. Largely at the direction of Musk, the Trump administration has tried to get rid of tens of thousands of government employees since the outset of his second term. While the moves have been felt across the U.S., Virginia stands out with more than 140,000 federal employees who called the commonwealth home at the close of 2024. "We know that Virginia's economy, the health of our state, is tied intricately on the good work that is happening by so many who are working at the (Department of Veterans Affairs), at IRS, the Library of Congress, all throughout our government," Spanberger told a roomful of voters at an event in March. "As governor, I will stand up not just for the individuals who focus on serving our country in their day-to-day job, but our whole economy." Republicans counter that Trump is a popular brand who will help them win in November. "Democrats are using the same playbook: hoping President Trump will again galvanize their base and distract voters from their state-level failures," Edith Jorge-Tuñón, the president of the Republican State Leadership Committee, wrote in a June 2 Wall Street Journal opinion piece. "But this time Republicans are ready, and we're playing offense." Trump a main character in Democrats' AG race Trump's name has been popping up regularly in Virginia's primary to be the nominee for Democratic attorney general, with the winner entering the general election contest in November against Miyares. The two leading candidates - former state Rep. Jay Jones and Shannon Taylor, the commonwealth's attorney for Henrico County - have made versions of a campaign promise to "stand up to Trump" if elected as Virginia's top legal official. If successful, they'd likely be quick to join other Democratic attorneys general who have spent the last several months filing ongoing lawsuits against Trump and his administration, including a case related to the federal workforce cuts. Trump has railed against other state attorneys general for similar campaigns, calling their scrutiny political persecution. It's an argument that Virginia Republicans plan to push against Democrats into the fall, too. "The law is a shield, not a sword to use against political enemies," Miyares' spokesman, Alex Cofield, told USA TODAY. "If they think that's the role of this office, then it's no small wonder why their policies keep getting rejected by voters. We look forward to the contrast in November."
