Against the olive drab walls of Saucy’s Sit-Down Bar.B.Q in Hopewell, where the air was thick with pulled pork and Virginia humidity, Republican Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears delivered her message like a general on the campaign trail. A former Marine, she vowed to defend Virginia with the same conviction she brought to serving her country, describing her candidacy as “Operation Defend & Deliver.”
But behind the military-themed rhetoric lies a campaign facing steep challenges. Earle-Sears’ run for governor comes at a time when her Republican team is underfunded and fractured, while her Democratic opponent, former Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger, enjoys unified party backing and a deep war chest.
When questioned earlier on national TV about why former President Donald Trump hadn’t endorsed her—and about her previous comments calling him a liability—Earle-Sears dismissed the interview as a “trap” and complained that it focused too much on the past. She later told supporters in Hopewell that the interview was an ambush, while refocusing her message on the future.
Despite her efforts to take control of the narrative, Earle-Sears finds herself on the defensive. Spanberger has raised over $27 million, with more than $15 million still available, and Democrats across Virginia have united behind her. After Ghazala Hashmi and Jay Jones won their primaries for lieutenant governor and attorney general, the trio immediately launched a statewide bus tour.
By contrast, the Republican ticket lacks that sense of unity. After June’s primaries, GOP Governor Glenn Youngkin urged the nominee for lieutenant governor, John Reid, to exit the race due to a scandal involving a social media account linked to explicit content. Reid denied wrongdoing and refused to withdraw, but the incident led to the cancellation of a major rally and months without coordinated appearances from top GOP candidates.
Earle-Sears’ campaign has also seen internal disruption. Her campaign manager—a pastor with little political background—resigned, and her fundraising efforts have lagged. Attorney General Jason Miyares, also running for reelection, has raised nearly as much as Earle-Sears and holds more in the bank.
One of her largest contributions—$500,000—came in June from a political group aligned with the Republican Governors Association. But by this point in 2021, the group had already poured more than $2 million into Youngkin’s campaign. When asked about the difference, a spokesperson said Earle-Sears was the only candidate who would maintain the policies of Youngkin’s administration, touting parental rights, economic growth, and community safety.
Youngkin himself, who cannot run again due to term limits, has given Earle-Sears just over $21,000 through his PAC between March and June. When asked if he planned to contribute more, his team simply said he supported the full Republican ticket and urged voters to keep Virginia moving in what they called a “commonsense” direction.
Trump, for his part, gave only lukewarm comments about Earle-Sears when asked if he endorsed her. “I mean, I would,” he said. “She probably has a tough race. She shouldn’t, because her opponent’s not great. But I think it’s going to be tough.”
Despite limited support from the top of her party, some Republicans in Virginia remain firmly behind her. At the Hopewell event, GOP lawmakers Mike Cherry and Scott Wyatt encouraged voters to rally behind Earle-Sears, calling her the best choice to continue Youngkin’s legacy.
As she took the stage, Earle-Sears remained upbeat, joking with the audience and shrugging off polling numbers that show her trailing by double digits.
“How many of you have seen or read about the polls that say I’m down 10 points?” she asked. “Don’t believe it.”
Still, she acknowledged the uphill battle she faces.
“Are we going to pass the offering bucket?” she quipped to a laughing crowd. “OK, see, you’re laughing again—but I’m not. Because that’s what it’s going to take for us to win.”
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