NORFOLK, VA – Former Representative Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) and Virginia Lieutenant Governor Winsom Earl-Sears (R) face off in the first and only gubernatorial debate. headline-grabbing controversy This includes violent messages sent by the Democratic nominee for Attorney General.
Jay Jones, who is running to become the commonwealth’s top prosecutor, sent texts back to 2022 after leaving the State House. In messages, which he sent to a Republican state legislator, he talked about firing former Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert (R).
The scandal, which emerged over the weekend after being reported by National Review, has imperiled the governor’s race, which until now has been fairly low-key. Spanberger, who has a strong lead over Earl-Sears in the polling, immediately condemned Jones’ comments. But all eyes were on Thursday night to see whether she would ask him out of the race.
There were also repeated interruptions at the debate, hosted by WAVY 10, the NBC affiliate owned by The Hill’s parent company Nexstar. Earle-Sears tried to keep his opponent constantly on the defensive, leading to a raucous and sometimes bitter affair.
Here are five takeaways from the heated Virginia gubernatorial debate:
Spanberger won’t say whether she supports Jones, but isn’t asking him to drop out
Questions lingered Thursday night about whether Spanberger would ask Jones out of the race, at least for the time being.
At the beginning of the debate, the moderator asked Spanberger when she first became aware of the texts and whether she still supported Jones. Spanberger said she became aware of the texts when they were released publicly, but she would not directly answer the second question.
“The comments that Jay Jones made are absolutely disgusting,” Spanberger said. “When I found out about him I condemned him and I will condemn him whenever I get a chance. As a mother, as a public servant, as a candidate for governor, I condemn him.”
When pressed again by arbitrators on whether she would continue to support Jones, Spanberger said it was up to the voters.
“Voters now have information and it is up to voters to make a choice based on that information,” Spanberger said.
“We are all falling out of the individual race,” he said. “It’s up to each individual to make their own decision.”
For his part, Earle-Sears repeatedly urged Spanberger to call on Jones to abandon his bid. Each time, Spanberger looked ahead and refused to directly answer her opponent on the subject.
Earl-Sears offers aggressive performance
Earl-Sears came to Thursday night’s program needing a breakout moment — and she jumped at the chance.
At almost every turn, she interrupted Spanberger, criticizing her for her views on issues such as the Jones scandal and transgender women in girls sports.
He repeatedly called Spanberger a liar and did not even allow the Democrat to complete his closing remarks without interrupting him.
“You said it with your mouth!” Earl-Sears yelled at Spanberger at one point when the former congresswoman said she would not support providing sanctuary policies in the state.
“If you wanted to stay federal, you should have stayed in Congress!” Earle-Sears shouted at another point, amid a discussion about whether parents should have a say in what books should be allowed in school classrooms.
Republican candidates often tried to provoke Spanberger, asking him questions and pressuring him on various issues such as abortion.
“My opponent … has an extremist view, which is abortion until the baby is born, right up to the minute – right up to the very minute. And so you’ll put an aborted baby on the table. What do we do then, Abigail?” he asked.
Spanberger said in the debate that she supports abortion access set forth by Roe v. Wade.
The effect of Earle-Sears’ strategy was to keep her front and center throughout the entire one-hour program, so that whoever watched it could not help but be deeply impressed in some way or the other.
Moderators face heated debate
The debate, which lasted for an hour, was stormy due to repeated interference by the Republican candidate.
Those moments at times frustrated the moderator, who repeatedly pressured Earl-Sears to stop speaking at Spanberger.
“Miss Earl-Sears, if we had to give Miss Spanberger time we wouldn’t be able to get to as many topics and —” one of the moderators interjected after the Republican interrupted his opponent’s comments at one point.
Earl-Sears responded that Spanberger was constantly lying, and said, “I think I’m willing to lie to you for 12 years?”
Trans issues, abortion have become flashpoints
Both candidates were pressed on their stances on trans issues and abortion access, which have become cultural flashpoints in Virginia and beyond.
When asked if she believed transgender women should be allowed to play on women’s sports teams and use women’s bathrooms in schools, Spanberger reiterated an answer she had given in the past.
“I think it’s important that our parents, teachers and administrators make decisions about our schools,” he said.
Republicans and Earl-Sears have attacked Spanberger on trans issues in schools, taking a page from Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s (R) focus on cultural issues.
But Earl-Sears was pressed by mediators on the abortion issue, on which Spanberger and Democrats have also attacked her.
“So my position is that the Commonwealth needs to come together and figure out where it wants to be. That wouldn’t be my view. That would be the majority view,” Earl-Sears said before attacking Spanberger over her stance on the issue of what limits on abortion she would advocate.
How much difference will this make?
It’s unclear how much Thursday’s debate will mean to Virginia voters, despite it being a debate between the two gubernatorial candidates ahead of next month’s election.
Early voting began on September 19, meaning many Virginians have already cast their ballots for their preferred choice, although this platform may be helpful for voters who joined the race late.
It is also unclear what impact the performance of the two candidates will have on the race. Many were eager to see how Spanberger would address the Jones scandal, although it is not certain how much the issue will impact the results in November. And while Earl-Sears undoubtedly made an impact Thursday night, it’s also unclear how that will help her at the ballot box when most polls show her opponent with a substantial lead.
polling average of surveysThe race shows Spanberger is ahead of Earl-Sears with 51 percent compared to Republicans’ 44 percent, meaning Earl-Sears still has some work to do to change the dynamics of the race.
