RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Republican Winsome Earle-Sears and Democrat Abigail Spanberger faced off for the first and only time on the debate stage Thursday night in Virginia's high-stakes governors race.
It was a fiery affair in which Earle-Sears, who is trailing in the race, went on the offensive from the very beginning, repeatedly interrupting Spanberger and asking her several direct questions.
Spanberger, who largely avoided addressing her Republican
opponent directly, sought to cast a bipartisan tone at times. Over the course of the hourlong affair, the candidates sparred over violent rhetoric, the federal shutdown and transgender children. The economy was largely an afterthought.
Virginia is one of just two states choosing governors this November, and its election is often seen as a bellwether for the party in power across the Potomac River ahead of midterm elections next year.
Washington politics are especially relevant this year in Virginia, as Trump’s cuts to the federal workforce and Congress’ current government shutdown have an outsize impact in a state filled with federal employees and military personnel.
Here’s are some takeaways from the debate at Norfolk State University:
A scandal shaped the very beginning of the debate, although it was not a scandal directly involving either candidate onstage.
Instead, it was the Democratic candidate for attorney general, Jay Jones. He has been heavily criticized in recent days following last week’s publication of text messages from 2022 in which he suggested that Virginia’s former Republican House speaker get “two bullets in the head.”
Republicans across the nation, including Trump and Earle-Sears, have demanded that Jones quit his race. Over and over again Thursday night, Earle-Sears pushed Spanberger on whether she would do the same.
“Abigail, what if he said it about your three children? Is that when you would say it's time to get out of the race?” Earle-Sears asked. She later added, “She has no courage.”
Spanberger had largely avoided the issue in the days leading up to the debate, aside from issuing a public statement condemning the texts. But facing repeated questions from the moderators and her opponent, she was forced to weigh in.
The Democratic congresswoman declined to say whether Jones should leave the race, saying it's up to voters to make their own decision.
“Are you saying political murder is OK?” Earle-Sears charged.
“Once again, I have denounced political violence, political rhetoric, no matter who is leading the charge,” Spanberger responded, pointing to violent rhetoric from Trump that Earle-Sears declined to denounce and trying to sound a bipartisan tone.
“You routinely refer to me as your enemy. I’m not your enemy. You are not my enemy. We are political opponents," Spanberger said.
The clash comes as threats of political violence have escalated across the country following the shooting deaths of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and former Minnesota Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband.
The showdown over the shutdown flared Thursday night.
The federal shutdown, which has been underway for more than a week, is especially prevalent in Virginia, home to roughly 315,000 federal workers. Even before much of the federal government closed its doors last week, many Virginians were already affected by Trump's spring push to slash federal jobs and his ongoing threats to impose more mass firings.
Earle-Sears, a vocal Trump supporter, had perhaps the more difficult challenge during the debate. She argued that she is best positioned to strengthen the state's economy, even as she was reluctant to criticize the Republican president's job cuts in the state.
She declined to criticize Trump or call on him to end the shutdown when asked directly by the moderators Thursday.
Instead, she blamed Democrats for the mess and called on Spanberger to push Virginia Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, both Democrats, to vote in favor of a spending bill that would end the impasse with the Republican-controlled Congress.
Spanberger complied.
“I would encourage everyone, our Democratic senators, our Democratic House members, our Republican House members, to work and come back to the table,” she said.
Many voters say they’re most concerned about the direction of the economy, but some of the most pointed moments of the debate were focused on cultural issues.
In particular, Earle-Sears pressed Spanberger on whether she would keep transgender youths out of high school sports and bathrooms.
The Republican lieutenant governor has flooded the airwaves with ads focused on the cultural divide that helped Trump win the presidency last fall, casting Spanberger as unwilling to protect Virginia’s children from sexual predators.
“My answer is that each local community decision should be made between parents and educators and teachers in each community,” Spanberger said, pointing to her background in law enforcement and role as a mother.
“Nothing is more important to me than the safety of all children,” she said.
Spanberger declined to say whether she would rescind the measure signed by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin that would require students to go only to the restrooms of their birth gender.
That did not satisfy Earle-Sears, who pressed Spanberger on what she would say if her own children were forced to undress in a bathroom with biological males. The Republican also implied that transgender students are a safety threat when asked.
“We know that biological men are larger in strength than women,” she said. “This is biology.”
Two women stood on the debate stage as the Democratic and Republican nominees for for the first time in state history, a reminder that Virginia is poised to elect its first female governor no matter who wins on Nov. 4.
Spanberger, 46, is a mother of three school-age children. She has represented a congressional district in northern Virginia since 2019. Her background is in law enforcement as a former CIA agent.
Earle-Sears, when asked what qualities she likes about her opponent, pointed to her family.
“I believe she is a devoted mom. I truly believe that,” Earle-Sears said. “And I do believe that she cares.”
Earle-Sears, a Marine veteran, may be better known statewide, having served as lieutenant governor for the last four years. A native of Jamaica, the 61-year-old mother of two is the first Black woman elected to statewide office in Virginia.
Spanberger complimented parts of her record.
“I admire her faith,” Spanberger said, “and her service to this country.”
Race and gender have been issues in the election.
Earle-Sears was the target of a racist sign displayed by a protester in August that touched on her opposition to transgender people using bathrooms that don't match the sex on their birth certificates.
The sign read, “Hey Winsome, if trans can’t share your bathroom, then blacks can’t share my water fountain."
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Peoples reported from New York. AP writer Thomas Beaumont in Des Moines, Iowa, contributed. Olivia Diaz is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
