Vienna, VA
CNN
—
On a Tuesday evening in northern Virginia, Republicans on edge across the state finally got their wish: a campaign event featuring gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears, backed by incumbent Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who beat a Democrat four years ago.
A racially diverse crowd was packed into a firehouse waving signs that read “Axe the Tax,” a nod to an Earle-Sears campaign pledge to eliminate the state’s car tax. Youngkin lauded Earle-Sears’ biography and work as the state’s lieutenant governor. At the end, he appeared on stage with the entire GOP ticket, clapping along to the tune of the classic disco song “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now.”
“We haven’t come this far to only go this far,” Earle-Sears told the crowd.
But things are much different from four years ago, when Youngkin beat Democrat Terry McAuliffe as a businessman and first-time candidate tapping into voter frustration with the Covid-19 pandemic and the handling of race and diversity in schools. Earle-Sears faces headwinds caused by some of President Donald Trump’s policies – and concerns among some in her own party about whether she’s running an effective campaign.
“The environment is just different and the things that are outside of a candidate’s control are worse for Republicans in 2025 than they were in 2021,” said Kyle Kondik, managing editor of Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia.
Earle-Sears is facing Democrat Abigail Spanberger, a former congresswoman who has outraised her so far. Kondik also cited Earle-Sears’ lack of personal wealth to self-fund her campaign as Youngkin did and her past comments minimizing the impact of these federal cuts as potential drawbacks.
Lining the sidewalk outside of the firehouse Tuesday night were demonstrators calling attention to the proposed federal cuts to Medicaid. The US Senate just hours earlier had passed Trump’s far-reaching domestic policy bill that could cause millions of people to lose coverage.
“I cared for a lot of people and now I’m in a situation where I may not have a roof over my head,” said Laura Lynn Clark, a 62-year-old former home care provider of Richmond.
Earle-Sears’ response to these critics sounded a more sympathetic note than what she previously said about federal workers and suggested a shift in her approach.
“What I love about America, as an immigrant, that people can protest and let their government know how they feel about everything,” she told CNN.
“Whatever comes down, we’re ready. We have the ability. We’re going to make sure that people are made whole,” she added.
Earle-Sears, 61, was born in Jamaica and immigrated to the United States when she was six. She later served in the U.S. Marine Corps and directed a Salvation Army homeless shelter.
Core to Earle-Sears’ election argument is that she is part of a winning team that has delivered the past four years in Virginia on everything from pro-business deregulation to reopening schools after the pandemic. In her allies’ telling, she would be an extension of the state’s prosperity. That’s despite Virginia being one of 17 states with separately elected lieutenant governors.
“We have a winner. We have a Marine who knows how to fight, who understands what America is about, because she understands that everything that she values today, everything she thanks an almighty God for, came from this country. Winsome Sears loves America,” Youngkin told the crowd Tuesday night.
But Earle-Sears has been intentional about drawing contrasts with Youngkin during her time as his deputy, tacking to the right of him on everything from same-sex marriage to access to abortion.
She has also held few public events, particularly compared to Spanberger. Instead, she’s mostly gone to private events that have been closed to the media.
Some chairs of county parties have publicly questioned whether she’s doing enough, particularly in a state that leans Democratic in national elections. Trump lost Virginia by nearly 6 points last November, an improvement from his 10-point defeat in the state four years earlier.
“Every single soul can look and see all the places I have been,” Earle-Sears told CNN in a recent phone interview as she was driving between campaign stops. “I used to have to drive myself to every place, racking up miles here and there, because I do not get a driver. The governor does. I don’t get security. The governor does. And so I’ve been doing a lot of it myself.”
“I don’t know what other people are seeing, but it’s going to be all right,” she said.
Ken Nunnenkamp, executive director of the Virginia Republican Party, defended Earle-Sears and said it would take time for her to reach all parts of the state.
He also argues Earle-Sears’ candor would be appreciated by voters.
“Whether or not you agree with Winsome, you sure as heck know where she stands,” he said.
