After four years presiding over the state Senate, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears is attempting to make the leap to the governor’s mansion this fall. The Republican candidate is running on a platform of conservative values and her campaign largely mirrors the themes that brought Gov. Glenn Youngkin victory in 2021 — parents’ rights, fiscal responsibility and defending personal freedoms.

For most of the year she has trailed Democratic opponent Abigail Spanberger in fundraising and popularity, though the race appears to be tightening. According to an August Roanoke College poll, 39% of likely Virginia voters said they would choose Earle-Sears and 46% would pick Spanberger. In the spring, just 26% percent said they’d select Earle-Sears compared to Spanberger’s 43% of the vote. Earle-Sears’ camp

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