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Monday marked the first day that Virginia鈥檚 gubernatorial candidates could deliver their collection of petition signatures to the state鈥檚 Board of Elections, which officially puts them on the ballot.
With former congresswoman Abigail Spanberger as the Democratic nominee for governor, the Democratic Party of Virginia is reminding voters that Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, once the Republican heir apparent, now has to face challengers in a primary.
From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. a truck with a billboard signaling that message will circle the block where Virginia鈥檚 Board of Elections sits. It鈥檚 a way DPVA will highlight what it sees as a 鈥渕essy鈥� primary between Earle-Sears and her challengers, former delegate Dave LaRock and former state senator Amanda Chase, according to a DPVA press release.
In recent media interviews, and have accused Earle-Sears of being a divider, not a uniter, of Republicans. Conservative radio host John Fredericks, where much of the Chase and LaRock discourse has recently played out, has also previously critiqued Earle-Sears for her 鈥渋ssues with MAGA.鈥�
Short for Trump鈥檚 鈥淢ake America Great Again鈥� campaign slogan, MAGA has also described a political philosophy and those who subscribe to it. Both on a 2022 segment and Earle-Sears had noted loss of support for President Donald Trump.
Fealty to the former and current president has in at least one Republican election in Virginia since Trump launched his third campaign for the White House. Former 5th District representative Bob Good鈥檚 brief endorsement of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for president haunted him ahead of primaries last summer where Trump-backed John McGuire him as the party鈥檚 nominee.
Fredericks and Earle-Sears in a conversation on his show last month, prior to LaRock and Chase .
In another appearance on his show in late February how her opponents would levy 鈥淭rump, Trump, Trump鈥� at her but that 鈥渉e needs a partner who will work with him to get the job done.鈥�
She also referenced her support of pressing Virginia to cooperate with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement to detain and deport undocumented immigrants, a priority for Trump.
The matchup between Earle-Sears, Chase and LaRock can also be a litmus test on how Trumpian or right-leaning Republican voters might be in Virginia this year.
Earle-Sears and Gov. Glenn Youngkin first won their statewide offices in 2021 without cozying up to Trump, though both have since embraced him as the nation鈥檚 leader.
Countering this, Chase has referred to herself as 鈥淭rump in heels,鈥� touted conspiracy theories that supported Trump鈥檚 false claims that he won the 2020 election, and attended the Jan. 6, 2021 rally in D.C. that ended with violence as a mob stormed the U.S. Capitol.
LaRock is campaigning on his support for Trump鈥檚 new Department of Government Efficiency, an initiative spearheaded by billionaire Elon Musk. While DOGE has drawn and alike for the widespread slashing of federal jobs, offices and grants, LaRock would like to mirror those efforts at the state level.
While there had been that U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Newport News might jump into a Democratic primary for the governorship and former Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney switched his gubernatorial campaign to run for lieutenant governor instead, Spanberger will face whoever emerges from the Republican primary later this year.
