Latest news with #Spanberger
Yahoo
a day 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
a day 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
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Abigail Spanberger launches her first TV ad in Virginia governor's race
Democratic former Rep. Abigail Spanberger is launching her first TV ad of the 2025 Virginia governor's race, detailing her background as she ramps up her campaign in one of the most closely watched elections of the year. 'Too many politicians talk when they should listen and divide instead of unite. Enough is enough,' Spanberger says in the 60-second spot, shared first with NBC News. She also highlights her experience in the CIA and her time in Congress, stressing her work with both parties. Virginia is one of two states, along with New Jersey, with governor's races this year, and both will be viewed as early indicators of the political environment ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Spanberger faces Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, as neither party has a contested primary for the nomination. Spanberger's new ad will air in the Richmond and Norfolk media markets, and her campaign is spending $141,00 so far on the ad buy, bringing the campaign's ad spending to $643,000, according to the ad tracking firm AdImpact. In the ad, Spanberger pledges to 'work to lower costs, let people keep more of their money and make Virginia schools the best in the nation,' adding that she is a mother of three girls who attend public schools. The ad also briefly refers to local news coverage of unemployment claims in Virginia "skyrocketing" as the Trump administration has slashed the size of the federal government. The layoffs could be an issue in the governor's race, as the commonwealth is home to scores of federal workers. Earle-Sears has already hit the airwaves, having spent $873,000 so far on two TV ads also touting her background. Her latest spot launched Wednesday, detailing her service in the Marines and her work with GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who cannot run for re-election because of term limits. 'If you want another typical politician, look to Washington, but if you want a United States Marine who will always fight for Virginia. I'd be honored to have your vote,' Earle-Sears says in the ad. Democrats have found success at the federal level in Virginia in recent elections, but the governor's race is expected to be competitive. Trump lost the commonwealth by 6 percentage points in November, a 4-point improvement on his 2020 margin. Youngkin won his first term in 2021 by 2 points. This article was originally published on
NBC News
2 days ago
- Business
- NBC News
Abigail Spanberger launches her first TV ad in Virginia governor's race
Democratic former Rep. Abigail Spanberger is launching her first TV ad of the 2025 Virginia governor's race, detailing her background as she ramps up her campaign in one of the most closely watched elections of the year. 'Too many politicians talk when they should listen and divide instead of unite. Enough is enough,' Spanberger says in the 60-second spot, shared first with NBC News. She also highlights her experience in the CIA and her time in Congress, stressing her work with both parties. Virginia is one of two states, along with New Jersey, with governor's races this year, and both will be viewed as early indicators of the political environment ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Spanberger faces Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, as neither party has a contested primary for the nomination. Spanberger's new ad will air in the Richmond and Norfolk media markets, and her campaign is spending $141,00 so far on the ad buy, bringing the campaign's ad spending to $643,000, according to the ad tracking firm AdImpact. In the ad, Spanberger pledges to 'work to lower costs, let people keep more of their money and make Virginia schools the best in the nation,' adding that she is a mother of three girls who attend public schools. The ad also briefly refers to local news coverage of unemployment claims in Virginia "skyrocketing" as the Trump administration has slashed the size of the federal government. The layoffs could be an issue in the governor's race, as the commonwealth is home to scores of federal workers. Earle-Sears has already hit the airwaves, having spent $873,000 so far on two TV ads also touting her background. Her latest spot launched Wednesday, detailing her service in the Marines and her work with GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who cannot run for re-election because of term limits. 'If you want another typical politician, look to Washington, but if you want a United States Marine who will always fight for Virginia. I'd be honored to have your vote,' Earle-Sears says in the ad. Democrats have found success at the federal level in Virginia in recent elections, but the governor's race is expected to be competitive. Trump lost the commonwealth by 6 percentage points in November, a 4-point improvement on his 2020 margin. Youngkin won his first term in 2021 by 2 points.
Newsweek
4 days ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
Democrats' Support May Be Eroding Among Strongest Backers—Data
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. There has been more activity by Democrats in Virginia on social media speaking out against the Trump administration than there has been to support the Democratic Party's candidate in this year's gubernatorial race, according to analysis for Newsweek by Impact Social. The data set shows that while former Representative Abigail Spanberger is the frontrunner for the state's top seat, the Democratic Party in the Old Dominion state has spent more time in recent months interacting negatively with President Donald Trump's policies, including the use of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Spanberger, 45, most recently served as a congresswoman for the state's 7th Congressional District from 2019 to 2025 and is a former intelligence officer. Why It Matters Viriginia 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 6 points against Trump, down from former President Joe Biden's 10-point win in 2020. However, the prospect of eroding support among reliable Democratic voters in Virginia could have repercussions beyond the state, potentially signaling vulnerability in key battlegrounds for upcoming elections. Virginia serves as a microcosm for broader national trends, with historical analysis showing that demographic and shifts in attitude among voters often precede changes elsewhere in the country. The trend that Impact Social found indicates that Spanberger may lack the key support needed to move her campaign in a winning direction. "This isn't apathy, it's disengagement. Democrat are showing up online, just not for her," Phil Snape of Impact Social said in his analysis. Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate, former Representative Abigail Spanberger, speaks on April 10 in Alexandria, Virginia. Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate, former Representative Abigail Spanberger, speaks on April 10 in Alexandria, Virginia. Photo byWhat To Know The data shared shows that conversations surrounding Spanberger online dropped from about 9 percent in February and March to 5 percent in April and May discussions. This data is collected from humans, not algorithms, Impact Social pointed out in the analysis. Similar data shows negative sentiment expressed in social media discussions surrounding the former congresswoman remained around -45 and -47. "Our sentiment insight reveals a serious vulnerability: Spanberger is struggling to energize her own base," Snape explained. Other data sets compared to conversations surrounding Spanberger show that her Republican opponent, Virginia's Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, saw a decrease in her net sentiment from +7 in February and March to -3 in April and May. "But here again, it's Democrats driving the negativity, tying Earle-Sears to Governor [Glenn] Youngkin and the broader GOP VA brand," Snape wrote. Comparatively, negative conversations on social media regarding Trump from Democrats, which were about 360,000 and a had a net of -12, according to Impact Social, show the Democratic Party's interest in the upcoming midterms. "Key issues include corruption, Gaza, tariffs, immigration, democracy and DOGE. The tone is unmistakably combative and energized, the kind of oppositional vigor we tracked across blue leaning constituencies throughout 2024," the analysis said. What People Are Saying Phil Snape of Impact Social said in the analysis: "How Democrats perform and whether they can energize their base will shape national narratives around turnout, enthusiasm and messaging heading into the next cycle. And that's what makes our latest analysis so troubling from a democratic perspective." He added: "There's more at stake here than just Virginia. As one of the highest-profile off-year contests this race will be read as a bellwether for the 2026 midterms. The Democratic base is active, mobilized and clear-eyed about the states. So why aren't they rallying behind their own candidate?" What the Polls Shows A poll from Roanoke College last week showed Spanberger had a double-digit lead over Earle-Sears. The poll took data from the 658 Virginians who were surveyed between May 12 to 19, Newsweek previously reported. While 43 percent of respondents planned to vote for Spanberger, only 26 percent indicated they planned to vote for Earle-Sears. The survey also showed that 41 percent of Virginians view Spanberger favorably while 40 percent view her unfavorably. That's compared to a 32 percent viewing Earle-Sears favorably while 48 percent view her unfavorably. The same poll showed that favorability is at an all-time low for GOP Governor Glenn Youngkin, with 50 of respondents viewing him unfavorably. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 5.25 percentage points. 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. The poll surveyed 1,000 likely voters from May 9 to 13, and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. What Happens Next? The results in Virginia will be closely watched for signals about broader national trends as the 2026 midterm cycle progresses. 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."
