A Republican candidate who leaned heavily into anti-trans rhetoric during her bid for Virginia governor has been defeated by Democrat Abigail Spanberger, who she repeatedly attacked for supporting trans rights.
Winsome Earle-Sears, the state’s lieutenant governor since 2022, was soundly beaten by Spanberger, a three-term former congresswoman and CIA officer, who secured more than 57% of the vote with 87% counted — making her Virginia’s first female governor.
In her victory speech, Spanberger said:
“We sent a message to every corner of the commonwealth, a message to our neighbours and our fellow Americans across the country.
We sent a message to the whole world that in 2025, Virginia chose pragmatism over partisanship.
We chose our commonwealth over chaos.”
Her win comes as part of a broader success for pro-LGBTQ+ Democrats in key elections across the United States, including Mikie Sherrill taking the New Jersey governor’s race and Zohran Mamdani making history as New York City’s first Muslim mayor.
During her campaign, Earle-Sears resorted to anti-trans advertising, including one ad that falsely claimed Spanberger supports “men in girls’ locker rooms.” The ad ended with the line:
“Abigail Spanberger is for they/them, not us” — echoing the trans panic rhetoric seen in a Donald Trump ad attacking Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential race.
In an interview with Katie Couric last month, Spanberger addressed the onslaught of targeted attacks.
“About $30 million worth of attack ads against me related to trans youth” had aired, she said.
“I do find it really objectionable that there would be kids who turn on the television and, as in an effort to attack me, see images of themselves sort of reflected as a villain,” she continued.
“I really do believe that a lot of these choices — whether it’s sports participation or bathroom usage — need to be made at the very local level with parents, teachers, and administrators, and not necessarily dictated, certainly not by the federal government, or the state government.”
Earle-Sears has a well-documented history of anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric. Earlier this year, she penned a note objecting to an anti-discrimination bill that banned officials from denying marriage licences based on sex, gender, or race — a bill she was constitutionally obligated to sign in her role as lieutenant governor.
Back in 2024, she misgendered trans state senator Danica Roem, referring to her as “sir” during a public address. Although she initially declined to comment, she later issued a tepid apology:
“I understand senator Roem is upset. I’m not here to upset anyone, I’m here to do the job the people of Virginia have called me to do, and that is to treat everyone with respect and dignity.”
Her anti-LGBTQ+ views date back decades. In a 2004 congressional campaign, Earle-Sears filled out a candidate questionnaire expressing stark opposition to LGBTQ+ rights. She opposed same-sex couples adopting children, anti-discrimination employment laws, and said she wouldn’t hire “homosexual activists.” She also indicated support for defining marriage strictly as between a man and a woman — and even ticked a box labelling homosexuality as an “immoral lifestyle choice.”
