CHESTERFIELD, Va. (7News) — Early voting began across Virginia on Friday, with candidates in both parties crisscrossing the state to rally supporters. One Republican guest headliner is drawing sharp criticism from Virginians.

Republican gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears joined Gov. Glenn Youngkin, Attorney General Jason Miyares, and Lt. Gov. nominee John Reid at an evening rally in Chesterfield. The group was also joined by Vivek Ramaswamy, the Ohio gubernatorial candidate and former Trump administration official who co-led the Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE.

Ramaswamy endorsed Earle-Sears during the rally, part of the GOP’s official kickoff for early voting. His appearance underscored party unity but also drew fire from Democrats, who tied him to job cuts in Virginia’s large federal workforce.

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Democratic nominee for governor Abigail Spanberger, campaigning earlier in Fairfax County alongside lieutenant governor nominee Ghazala Hashmi and Rep. James Walkinshaw, urged Virginians to vote early and blasted Ramaswamy’s role in DOGE.

“Virginia has had rising unemployment rates every single month over the past eight months,” Spanberger said. “Estimates are that in 2026, we will see virtually no growth in employment numbers in Virginia. The impacts of DOGE are real, and Vivek Ramaswamy was the original architect until he was ‘DOGE’d’ by Elon Musk.”

Watch her full comments:

Spanberger has called on Earle-Sears to cancel the rally, arguing that Virginians deserve to know why her opponent “continues to prioritize loyalty to President Trump over their well-being.”

Republicans defended the event as part of a broader effort to energize voters early. Reid, the GOP nominee for lieutenant governor, acknowledged DOGE’s effects but framed them as part of a necessary reckoning.

“DOGE has been a really difficult thing for a lot of people across the country,” Reid said. “We’re $37 trillion in debt in the United States. Some awful, painful decisions have to be made, and we’re going to feel it with proximity to D.C. I would like to mitigate that by creating a robust private sector economy.”

Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin released the following statement in response to the Earle-SEars’ rally with Ramaswamy:

Tonight, Winsome Earle-Sears is letting the fox into the hen house once again as she takes the stage with billionaire DOGE co-founder Vivek Ramaswamy, whose actions have led to thousands of hard-working Virginians losing their jobs. These are 32,000 of our neighbors — hardworking Virginians who didn’t deserve to lose their livelihoods. For anyone paying attention, it should come as no surprise that Earle-Sears will always choose the side of billionaires like Ramaswamy, Musk, and Trump over the needs of Virginians who actually work for a living. As Virginians head to the polls starting today, Democrats are all-in fighting for Abigail Spanberger and Virginia Democrats down the ballot who will lower costs and create jobs for Virginia families. Virginians deserve a real fighter in Richmond, not another Trump puppet.

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Watch his full comments:

Earle-Sears’s campaign has previously argued that Ramaswamy’s role in DOGE was brief and that Democrats are exaggerating its effects for political gain.

With unemployment rising and federal job losses a top campaign issue, both parties are seeking to define the stakes as early ballots are cast.

Voting runs through Nov. 1, with Election Day set for Nov. 4.