Earle-Sears, Spanberger release new ads on education, gender identity issues

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- With exactly two months until Election Day, education and gender identity issues are set to play a big role in the race for governor. 

Earlier this week, Republican gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears released a new ad highlighting Democrat Abigail Spanberger’s previous support for The Equality Act, which the ad says would have allowed “men in girls’ sports, bathrooms, and locker rooms.”

"Sears is trying to capitalize on what Donald Trump proved in 2024 was a potent campaign issue,” Larry Sabato, Director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, told 8News. 

The Earle-Sears campaign also claims that if a student identifies as transgender in school, Spanberger supports school staff hiding that from the student’s parents. 

“Even in heavily Democratic areas, like Northern Virginia, there’s a sizable portion of the population that does not favor the full integration of trans students into women’s sports, for example, or locker rooms, and all the rest,” Sabato explained. 

However, on Thursday, Spanberger tried to fire back in an ad of her own, implying that Earle-Sears' attacks are “lies.” 

The Democratic nominee said during her career in law enforcement, she “went after child predators,” and as a mother of three girls in public schools, “nothing matters more to me than the safety of all of our kids.”

“Whether Spanberger’s answer, which is kind of a soft way of approaching it, I love my daughters, and I wouldn't allow my daughters to be hurt, whether that works or not, we’ll have to see. If it doesn’t, she's going to have to take a stronger stand, probably alienate at least some small portion of the Democratic electorate,” Sabato told 8News. 

These ads come at a critical time with early voting set to begin on September 19.