“They pick your worst day,” the ad begins, interspersed with audio from Spanberger’s own spot. “I’m speaking now,” Earle-Sears is heard saying, followed by, “They twist your words,” and then, “And I think that’s good,” pulled from a recording by Democratic opposition group American Bridge.
Earle-Sears then appears on camera: “They say you’re not polished… As your governor, I won’t be a polished politician, but as a United States Marine, I’ll always fight for Virginia.”
The ad, which begins airing Wednesday, responds directly to Spanberger’s use of footage from Earle-Sears’s 2024 Labor Day speech in Buena Vista, where she sparred with audience members and said, “I’m speaking now,” as some heckled. Spanberger’s campaign has used that moment in at least six of her recent ads, attempting to portray Earle-Sears as combative and unprepared for the state’s top job.
The “I think that’s good” soundbite comes from a separate American Bridge recording made at a closed-door event in April 2025, when Earle-Sears defended President Donald Trump’s aggressive trade tactics and suggested the strategy was working. “I think Trump is crazy like a fox,” she said. “I mean, have you noticed the minute that he says tariffs suddenly — as my grandmother would say — these countries shaped up and started flying right? Did you notice that? Yes. Yes. And I think that’s good! And it’s to our benefit after all.”
The new ad seeks to flip those moments, leaning into Earle-Sears’s reputation as blunt and unapologetic while highlighting her Marine background and outsider persona. The campaign’s message, “educate, not indoctrinate, grow paychecks instead of hate,” echoes her broader platform centered on parental control in schools, job growth, and conservative cultural themes.
Trump, who has largely stayed out of the Virginia race, told reporters on Monday, “I think the Republican candidate is very good, and I think she should, she should win, because the Democrat candidate is a disaster,” Trump said. “So I haven’t been too much involved in Virginia. I love the state. I did very well in the state, but I will tell you, I think the Republican candidate is excellent, and I think the Democrat candidate is a disaster. I mean, I watched her in the debate, she couldn’t answer the most basic question.”
Earle-Sears’s campaign also received a major boost from the Republican Governors Association, which contributed an additional $1.5 million last week, according to Politico. The new transfer brings the RGA’s total support for her campaign to roughly $5 million, matching what the Democratic Governors Association has spent backing Spanberger.
Campaign press secretary Peyton Vogel said the new ad and surge in resources reflect a clear contrast between the two candidates. “While Abigail Spanberger is busy twisting words and campaigning with every Washington, D.C. insider she can find, from Hillary Clinton to Barack Obama, we’re focused on Virginia,” Vogel said in a statement provided to the Washington Examiner. “Our time and our resources are spent showing voters who Winsome Earle-Sears truly is: a woman of faith, service, and results who will keep delivering for the Commonwealth as our next governor.”
WINSOME EARLE-SEAR’S CONFRONTATION DEBATE SHOWS SHIFTING TACTICS IN VIRGINIA BID
According to the latest RealClearPolitics average, Spanberger leads Earle-Sears 50% to 43.9%, a 6.1-point advantage that has remained largely consistent through October. Individual polls show similar results: Quantus Insights and co/efficient each find Spanberger ahead by five points, Trafalgar Group/InsiderAdvantage by three, and Virginia Commonwealth University by seven. A recent Christopher Newport University poll showed Spanberger with a double-digit, ten-point lead.
