Spanberger, Earle-Sears face off in Nexstar’s Virginia gubernatorial debate

NORFOLK, Va. (NEXSTAR) — Former U.S. Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger and current Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears squared off Thursday evening in their only scheduled live debate in the race for Virginia governor.

It was a fiery affair in which Republican Earle-Sears, who is trailing in the race, went on the offensive from the very beginning, repeatedly interrupting her Democratic opponent.

Spanberger, who largely avoided addressing her Republican opponent directly, sought to cast a bipartisan tone at times. Over the course of the hourlong affair, the candidates sparred over violent rhetoric, the federal shutdown and transgender children. The economy was largely an afterthought.

Recent scandal sets early tone

A weeklong scandal provided an intense back-and-forth early in the debate when Earle-Sears pressed Spanberger to denounce the Democratic candidate for attorney general, Jay Jones. He has been heavily criticized in recent days following last week’s publication of text messages from 2022 in which he suggested that Virginia’s former Republican House speaker get “two bullets in the head.”

Earle-Spears asked her opponent repeatedly if she knew about the text messages before they came out and if she would still endorse him.

“Abigail, what if he said it about your three children? Is that when you would say it’s time to get out of the race?” Earle-Sears asked. She later added, “She has no courage.”

Spanberger, who accused Earle-Sears of failing to denounce violence when it is aimed at both parties, pointing to violent rhetoric by President Trump, replied, “Once again, I have denounced political violence, political rhetoric, no matter who is leading the charge.”

Clash over cultural issue

Spanberger and Earle-Sears had a pointed back-and-forth over the cultural issue of transgender youths in high school sports and bathrooms.

The Republican lieutenant governor has flooded the airwaves with ads focused on the cultural divide that helped Trump win the presidency last fall, casting Spanberger as unwilling to protect Virginia’s children from sexual predators.

“My answer is that each local community decision should be made between parents and educators and teachers in each community,” Spanberger said, pointing to her background in law enforcement and role as a mother.

“Nothing is more important to me than the safety of all children,” she said.

Spanberger declined to say whether she would rescind the measure signed by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin that would require students to go only to the restrooms of their birth gender.

That did not satisfy Earle-Sears, who pressed Spanberger on what she would say if her own children were forced to undress in a bathroom with biological males. The Republican also implied that transgender students are a safety threat when asked.

“We know that biological men are larger in strength than women,” she said. “This is biology.”

Virginia race set to make history

Virginia is one of two states choosing governors this November, and its election is often seen as a bellwether for the party in power across the Potomac River ahead of midterm elections next year.

Regardless of who takes the Nov. 4 ballot, it will be a historic election as Virginia will elect its first female governor.

Hosted exclusively by Nexstar’s WAVY, the debate started at 7 p.m. on the campus of Norfolk State University.

Two recent polls, from Emerson College Polling/The Hill and from Christopher Newport University’s Wason Center, show Spanberger leading Earle-Sears 52% to 42% among likely voters.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.