Earle-Sears hosts rally, Spanberger casts ballot on first day of early voting

CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Early voting is officially underway in Virginia, and both gubernatorial candidates spent Friday encouraging Virginians to head to the polls.

Republican nominee Winsome Earle-Sears rallied supporters in Chesterfield alongside her ticket mates, Lieutenant Governor nominee John Reid and Attorney General Jason Miyares. They were joined by Governor Glenn Youngkin and Ohio Republican gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.

“This election is about the vision of the future of Virginia for our children,” Earle-Sears told the crowd. “And it starts today, with your votes.”

Youngkin urged Republicans to mobilize, saying, “If we donate and we vote and we volunteer and we put signs in our yard and we pray we will win, and Winsome Earle-Sears will be our governor.”

Security was heightened at the rally, with Earle-Sears’ campaign noting precautions were taken following the assassination of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk last week. Youngkin led attendees in a prayer for Kirk during the event.

Earle-Sears highlighted priorities such as immigration, supporting law enforcement and veterans, and the economy, while taking jabs at her opponent.

"We have created 10,000 new jobs," she said. "If you want a job, we have a job for you, and all my opponent is doing now is divisiveness... division."

Meanwhile, Democratic nominee Abigail Spanberger cast her ballot Friday morning at a polling location in Henrico County. While there, she emphasized the need to lower the political temperature.

“I think all of us have an obligation to really focus on changing the tone and the tenor of where we are in our political discourse, because our children deserve better than what they are witnessing from some of the adults around them,” Spanberger said.

Both candidates are hoping to capture voters from across the aisle in a race expected to draw national attention.

Early voting in Virginia runs through Nov. 1. For all early voting and ballot dropbox information, contact the general registrar’s office for the jurisdiction where you are registered.

You can find your general registrar’s office by visiting the early voting office locations webpage on the department’s website and selecting your locality from the dropdown menu.