Hopewell, Va. (AP) – Republicans against the monotonous background of olives in barbecue joints filled with pulled pork aromas and Virginia summer sweat Winsome Earle-Sears She told voters she was running her Campaign for the Governor Like military style manipulation.
The former Marine lieutenant governor said she would protect Virginia just like America. Not all attacks come from soldiers, and the way Earl Sears communicates it.
Earlier that day, she was asked on national television why Republican President Donald Trump didn’t support her and whether she was standing in his account. Responsibility in 2022Before returning to the oval office about two years later. She challenged the question backwards and called an interview by CNN’s Manu Raju a trap. The interview quickly fell into conflict.
“They ambushed me to talk about what has happened in the past when we had to move forward,” she told the crowd gathered at Hopewell’s mainstay, Saucy’s sit-in bar.bq.
Her words in both settings are cast in military terminology, but reflect a campaign on defense.
A lack of funds and a lack of unity
Earl Thurs faces Democrats Abigail Span Burger, In November, the former lawmaker has been running a statewide “Operation Defense and Delivery” campaign. The off-limits election ensures that Virginia will have the first female governor in a race that provides a sense of early voter sentiment before mid-2026.
Earl Sears’ victory would also be the first black woman to serve as governor, Centers for American Women in Politics. But that feels like a distant outlook at the moment.
The nonpartisan Virginia public access project says Spanberger has raised more than that $27 million So far, I have over $15 million on hand. Almost every Democrat in Virginia’s politics has pledged to support her. The three candidates took part in a bus tour in Virginia when Democrats Gazala Hashmi and Jay Jones won their respective major races for the lieutenant governor and attorney general.
The Earl Sears ticket lacks such unification, but that’s not entirely what she does.
Once Republican statewide candidates had It solidified before the June primary electionGOP Governor Glenn Youngkin asked John Reid, a candidate for lieutenant governor; Leave the ticket After opposition research linked him to social media accounts with sexually explicit photos. Reed denied the allegations and refused to resign, but statewide ticket gatherings were cancelled.
The top three Republican candidates then did not campaign together for several months.
Meanwhile, the Earle-Sears campaign had its own challenges.
This summer, the pastor with little political experience resigned from managing her campaign, and her team was unable to gain traction with big money donors. Attorney General Jason Miyares, who is seeking a second term, has raised about the same amount of money and earned about $2 million from the lieutenant governor of the EU. He has more in the bank – almost $7 million Compared to most $5 million For Earle-Sears.
The Political Action Committee, tied to one of her biggest donors, the Republican Governors Association, is $500,000 For her campaign in June. However, by this time in August 2021, the association had donated more than that. $2 million For Youngkin’s campaign.
An association spokesperson responded to written questions about donations, “Wintham Earl Sears is the only candidate in this race where Virginia is on the right track forged by Governor Glenn Youngkin. Under leadership, parents’ rights are protected, Virginia’s economy is growing, and the community is safe.”
Time-limited Youngkin offers more $21,000 Support Earl Sears through his political action committee between March and June.
When asked in June if he would give more, his PAC said the governor “works to elect an entire GOP ticket and is urging all Virginians to support the Commonsense team to maintain Virginia’s victory this November.”
Lukewarm support from Trump
Republicans took part in the election in the face of tough sleds in Virginia’s swing state. Since Democrat Jimmy Carter won the White House in 1976, Virginia has been supporting the governor the following year from the other side of the first president. Whatever the outcome for Virginia, 2025 is a special case given the gap between Trump’s terminology.
Trump stopped full support last weekend when asked about Earl Sears’ support.
“I mean, I’ll do that,” he said. “I think she’s probably racing tough…. The candidate she’s opposed to isn’t very good, so she shouldn’t have, but I think she’s racing tough.
Many state Republicans are strong in standing behind the candidate.
Dells, Republican, at a gathering in Hopewell. Mike Cherry and Scott Wyatt, who are seeking reelection, urged voters to support the lieutenant governor. In her prayer, Cherry asked God, “Inspire her with strength and stamina, for the day that comes in the final decline of this election.” Wyatt encouraged voters to help Earl Sears continue the success of the Youngkin administration.
Earl Sears then smiled and jokingly walked over to the stage. She described the political situation where Democrats and the media were raiding her with everything they had. She predicted that they would show up in November.
“How many people have seen or read about the polls that say I’m down 10 points?” she said. “Don’t believe me.”
That’s not to say she doesn’t need more money to make it happen.
“Are you going to give me the offering bucket?” Earl Sears told the laughing crowd. “Okay, take a look, you’re laughing again, and I’m not laughing because that’s what we need to win.”
