RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- With exactly two months until Election Day, education and gender identity issues are set to play a big role in the race for governor.

Earlier this week, Republican gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears released a new ad highlighting Democrat Abigail Spanberger’s previous support for The Equality Act, which the ad says would have allowed “men in girls’ sports, bathrooms, and locker rooms.”

"Sears is trying to capitalize on what Donald Trump proved in 2024 was a potent campaign issue,” Larry Sabato, Director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics, told 8News.

The Earle-Sears campaign also claims that if a student identifies as transgender in school, Spanberger supports school staff hiding that from the student’s parents.

“Even in heavily Democratic

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