How will Earle-Sears, Spanberger approach the campaign’s final weeks?

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Labor Day is often considered the unofficial start to campaign season, and that means Virginia’s gubernatorial candidates are entering the final sprint to Election Day.

“Every mistake is heightened, every bad message, every waste of dollars matters more than it did six months ago,” said Randolph-Macon Political Science Professor Rich Meagher.

Meagher said the final days and weeks of the campaign are a chance for Republicans, including gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears, to hit reset and show voters a unified front.

Earlier this year, Earle-Sears and the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor, John Reid, didn’t speak for weeks after Gov. Glenn Youngkin asked Reid to drop out of the race. 

“After a difficult year, I think they’re saying that we can do this. Let’s actually, kind of, come together, invest some resources, put some effort in, maybe this election is winnable,” Meagher said. 

Meanwhile, Meagher said perceived gubernatorial frontrunner, Democrat Abigail Spanberger, will likely focus on hammering home her message while doing everything she can to avoid making a race-altering mistake. 

“I don’t know if she has this sign up in her campaign, but if I were her manager, I would have a ‘don’t screw this up’ sign, right there, big, on the wall in her campaign headquarters,” Meagher told 8News. 

Meagher added that in years past, candidates had more time after Labor Day to reach voters. However, with early voting set to begin on Sept. 19, Meagher said campaigns have to be more intentional about reaching as many voters as possible, as early as possible.