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Last night’s first and final Virginia gubernatorial debate between Winsome Earle-Sears and Abigail Spanberger had one clear loser — the approximately 446,000 Commonwealth voters who had already cast their early ballots.
For a state that has such a storied civic heritage, relying on a single, late-stage debate fails the test of responsible governance. The increase in no-excuse early voting, with a 45-day window to early vote, meant that hundreds of thousands of voters cast ballots before the candidates were scrutinized through the heat of direct, unscripted questions under the lights of a debate stage. No doubt, it seems, this is exactly what the two candidates intended.
The lack of debates allows the candidates to curate their image through campaign ads and partisan talking points, rather than a direct, head-to-head comparison on the issues that truly matter. Early voters were thus denied the opportunity to see if the two candidates for Virginia’s highest office can think on their feet, know the issues, or have a vision for how to lead.
The other clear loser in last night’s debate was Jay Jones, the Democratic nominee for Attorney General whose text messages wishing “two bullets” to murder then Speaker of the House Todd Gilbert – and the death of his children — were leaked by an unwitting recipient who was included accidentally in the violent text thread two years earlier. Jones then followed up the text messages with a phone call where he tried to justify his views and doubled down on his extremely violent text rhetoric.
Winsome Earle-Sears called for Jones to drop out of the race, and pressed Abigail Spanberger to do the same. Spanberger’s refusal to do so looked weak, and difficult to understand considering her clear denunciation of Jones for sending the repugnant text messages. For Jones, to have both candidates at the top of the ticket roundly denouncing his actions was a sure blow to his candidacy.
For those who have not voted, the debate was enlightening – but screamed of the need for several more similar follow-up encounters. While the moderators did a good job of choosing questions and pressing candidates to answer those questions, it was clear that neither candidate was at their best. The one glaring mistake by the moderators, and surely one that would be addressed in a second or third debate, was allowing the constant interruptions by Republican candidate Winsome Earle-Sears. Setting that aside, here are some key highlights from the debate:
| Issue | Winsome Earle-Sears (Republican) | Abigail Spanberger (Democrat) |
|---|---|---|
| Jay Jones Controversy | Disqualifying; Demands Resignation. Repeatedly and aggressively demanded Spanberger call for Democratic AG nominee Jay Jones to drop out over his violent 2022 text messages about a Republican official. Framed Spanberger’s refusal as a lack of moral courage and a tacit endorsement of political violence. | Condemned Texts; Refused to Demand Resignation. Called Jones’s comments “abhorrent” and stated she spoke to him directly to express her “disgust.” However, she repeatedly refused to call for his resignation, stating it was “up to voters” to decide. |
| Car Tax | Advocates Immediate Repeal Using Surpluses. Vowed to “get rid of this daggone car tax once and for all” and insisted that the state already “has the money” in budget surpluses to fund the necessary local government reimbursement. When pressed, pointed to the plan introduced by Governor Youngkin. | Supports Repeal, but Lacks Clear Funding Plan. Agreed the car tax is “the most hated tax” but insisted the solution requires “significant cooperation and planning” between the two parties, signaling a slower, negotiation-dependent process to replace the lost $3 billion in local revenue. |
| Transgenders in School | Defends Parental Rights and Privacy. Committed to maintaining Governor Youngkin’s policy restricting bathrooms, locker rooms, and school sports to students based on biological sex. Stated, “We know that girls want to have privacy. It’s really that simple.” | Focuses on Safety and Local Control. Stated that “nothing is more important than the safety of all children” and deflected the policy question by saying decisions should be made by “parents, teachers, [and] administrators” at the local level, avoiding a clear stance on the state order. |
| Data Centers | Prioritizes Economic Growth & Energy Supply. Defended the data center industry, which brings billions in revenue, advocating for an “all of the above” energy strategy to ensure Virginia has the power supply necessary to support their continued growth. Blamed the Virginia Clean Economy Act for closing coal and forcing the use of less reliable wind and solar energy. | Supports Regulation to Protect Consumers. Voiced reservations about the costs of data centers, advocating for a plan to ensure the massive facilities “pay their fair share” for energy, signaling she is open to increasing regulation and taxes on the industry. |
| Abortion | Seeks Popular Protections/Limits. Stressed the need for the “Commonwealth to come together” to decide on abortion, opposing the expansion of abortion access and accusing Spanberger of advocating for extreme policies, like late term abortions | Seeks Popular Protections/Limits. Stressed the need for the “Commonwealth to come together” to decide on abortion, opposing the expansion of abortion access and accusing Spanberger of advocating for extreme policies, like late-term abortions |
| ICE Cooperation / Sanctuary Status | Supports Full Law Enforcement Cooperation. Backed the current administration’s directive for state police to actively assist ICE in identifying and removing illegal immigrants, specifically prioritizing the removal of criminal offenders. Accused Spanberger of being weak on border security. | Limits Cooperation to Criminal Cases. Rejected the “sanctuary state” label but stressed that local law enforcement cooperation with ICE should occur only when based on a valid warrant or criminal charge. Vowed she would “never, ever” back sanctuary policies for Virginia. |
Derrick Max is the President & CEO of the Thomas Jefferson Institute for Public Policy and may be reached at mdmax@thomasjeffersoninst.org.
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