New gubernatorial ads focus on transgender and reproductive rights

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- With Election Day a little bit more than a month away, both Abigail Spanberger and Winsome Earle-Sears are out with new campaign ads. 

“This is a time when you’re really trying to ramp up the energy among potential voters,” Professor Stephen Farnsworth, Director of the University of Mary Washington’s Center for Leadership and Media Studies, told 8News. 

In her new ad, Republican Winsome Earle-Sears attacked Democrat Abigail Spanberger over her previous positions on transgender rights. 

The ad features a mother criticizing Spanberger’s previous support for the Equality Act, which the ad says would “force transgender men into girls' locker rooms.”

“There’s going to be a great emphasis on getting Republican voters to the polls, and this ad is a great way to do that, in that it brings up the kind of message that would really work well with Republican voters,” Farnsworth said.

Meanwhile, Spanberger returned the favor, criticizing Earle-Sears’ views on abortion. 

The ad alleging Earle-Sears wants to “ban abortion with no exceptions for rape and incest.” 

“The Spanberger is an example of how you can really campaign for office, primarily by focusing on what your supporters might not like about the other candidate,” Farnsworth told 8News.