Virginia Republicans are bracing for a loss this November in the Virginia Governor's race, according to a new Politico report.
Republican Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears is not kicking off her campaign in the best way.
“A lot of us are looking at it and saying, ‘I’d do it differently,’” said a senior GOP staffer that Politico granted anonymity. “She’s a good person, she’d make a good governor, and she’s just not as strong of a candidate as we’d like to have.”
The outlet paraphrased nearly a dozen Republican strategists and officials in the state who are worried that the candidate's “sluggish fundraising,” repeated comments where she compares “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs to slavery,” and “frosty relationship with MAGA rising star John Reid,” could cost the GOP the governorship.
Reid is running for lieutenant governor this year. The state's current Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) is barred from serving consecutive terms, according to Virginia law.
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“With the demographics of Richmond, in an off year with the Republican White House, it’s going to be tough,” said longtime Virginia Republican strategist Jimmy Keady. “To be a Republican to win in Virginia, you have to run a very good campaign. You’ve got to have [tailwinds] and the Democratic candidate’s got to make a mistake.”
The Democratic candidate this year is Abigail Spanberger who has a record of winning competitive races.
According to Politico, “Chris LaCivita, a former senior adviser to President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign who has worked for a number of high-profile Virginia Republicans, called Earle-Sears’ campaign staff ‘amateurs.’”
It’s not just her slow campaign that has the GOP concerned. It's also Earle-Sears' written opposition to bills and constitutional amendments that she is constitutionally required to sign.”
“There are those kinds of glitches, [when] you see them, you manage them, you get through them, and you go to the next thing,” Kay Coles James told Politico. Coles James is the former head of the conservative Heritage Foundation and has deep ties to Virginia GOP circles. “I am not in a panic mode at this point.”