Democrat Abigail Spanberger is launching her first major negative TV ad of the Virginia governor’s race, taking aim at Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears’ recent comments about federal government layoffs.
The 30-second spot, first shared with NBC News, features footage of a recent interview on CNN in which Earle-Sears dodged a question about whether she supported the layoffs and said she wanted to talk about “real issues.”
“Really? Not a real issue that thousands of Virginians are losing their jobs?” a narrator says in the ad, which is backed by a six-figure expenditure and will air in the Richmond and Norfolk media markets and on digital platforms throughout the state, according to Spanberger’s campaign.
“It’s a real issue that Sears supports Trump, not Virginians. Winsome Earle-Sears: So far right, she’s wrong for Virginia,” the narrator says.
Virginia, one of two states with a gubernatorial race this year, is home to more than 340,000 federal workers, according to census data. The layoffs from the early months of Trump’s second term are expected to be a top issue in the governor’s race. Spanberger, a former congresswoman, is competing against Earle-Sears to replace Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who cannot run for re-election due to term limits.