Copyright Norfolk Virginian-Pilot
Virginia’s off-year contests are drawing national political attention. Former U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic candidate for governor, announced Tuesday that former President Barack Obama would campaign alongside her at a rally Nov. 1 in Norfolk. The announcement came after Obama endorsed Spanberger, as well as New Jersey’s Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill, over the weekend. “Virginia’s elections are some of the most important in the country this year and I am proud to endorse Abigail Spanberger for Governor,” Obama said in an ad. “Republican policies are raising costs on working families so billionaires can get massive tax cuts. As governor, Abigail will stand up for Virginia families. “She’ll work to build an economy that works for everyone, not just big corporations and the wealthy.” Virginia and New Jersey are the only states with statewide elections this year, and the results will be watched as a sign of how voters are responding to President Donald Trump ahead of the 2026 midterms. Trump also offered support this week for Republican candidate Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, but he stopped short of a full endorsement. “I think the Republican candidate is very good, and I think she should win, because the Democrat candidate’s a disaster,” Trump told reporters Monday on Air Force One. “I haven’t been too much involved in Virginia. I love the state, I did very well in the state. But I’ll tell you, I think the Republican candidate is excellent, and I think the Democrat candidate is a disaster. “I mean, I watched her in the debate, she couldn’t answer the most basic question.” Earle-Sears responded on social media thanking Trump for the support. Polling has consistently had Spanberger leading, and historically, the party not in control of the White House has won the Virginia governor’s race 11 out of the past 12 elections — the exception being Terry McAuliffe’s 2013 win while Obama was in office. Last November, Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris carried Virginia by 52% to Trump’s 46%. In contrast to his comments about Earl-Sears, Trump clearly endorsed incumbent Republican Jason Miyares this month in the race for attorney general. “Democrat Jay Jones should drop out of the Race, IMMEDIATELY, and the People of Virginia must continue to have a GREAT Attorney General in Jason Miyares who, by the way, has my Complete and Total Endorsement,” Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. “JASON WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!” “Complete and total endorsement” is the language Trump typically uses when endorsing candidates. He has not yet offered that specific support to Earle-Sears. The Miyares endorsement came after it became public that Jay Jones, the Democratic candidate for attorney general, had sent texts in 2022 to a Republican colleague using violent rhetoric. Specifically, Jones wrote that in a hypothetical scenario with former Virginia House Speaker Todd Gilbert, Adolph Hitler and Pol Pot he would shoot Gilbert twice. Jack Ciattarelli, the Republican candidate for governor in New Jersey, also has Trump’s “Complete and Total Endorsement.” As recently as Sunday, Trump reiterated that support, writing on Truth Social that Ciattarelli is a “winner for New Jersey” who would bring down energy costs. Trump and Obama have weighed in on Virginia elections in the past. In 2021, Obama campaigned for Democratic gubernatorial candidate McAuliffe in Richmond. Then-President Joe Biden also stumped for the former governor. That year, Trump also offered his clear endorsement for Republican Glenn Youngkin after he won the primary. “Glenn is pro-Business, pro-Second Amendment, pro-Veterans, pro-America, he knows how to make Virginia’s economy rip-roaring, and he has my Complete and Total Endorsement!” he wrote at the time. Kate Seltzer, 757-713-7881, kate.seltzer@virginiamedia.com
