Trump voices support for GOP gubernatorial candidate, admits she has ‘tough race’

President Donald Trump expressed support for Virginia Republican gubernatorial candidate Winsome Earle-Sears, acknowledging that she is in the middle of a “tough race” against an opponent who is “not very good.” 

“Yeah, I would. I mean, I would,” Trump told reporters when asked about endorsing Earle-Sears. “I think probably, yeah, she’s got a tough race. She shouldn’t, she shouldn’t, because the candidate she’s running against is not very good, but I think she’s got a tough race.”

However, he did not go so far as to give Earle-Sears his “complete and total” endorsement, as he has done with some candidates. 

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Trump has already backed Jack Ciattarelli in New Jersey and Vivek Ramaswamy in Ohio. Polling out of Virginia may explain Trump’s apparent reservations.

A recent Virginia Commonwealth Poll from July has Sears at 37% and Spanberger at 49%. Meanwhile, Youngkin’s approval rating sits at 49%, nine points higher than Trump’s numbers in the same poll.

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On Aug. 1, in a CNN interview, Earle-Sears seemingly struggled to give an answer as to why Trump had not endorsed her yet. The lieutenant governor said that she had met with the president but repeatedly refused to detail what they had spoken about.

Earle-Sears, who currently serves as Virginia’s lieutenant governor and is poised to become the nation’s first Black female governor, is facing an uphill battle against former Rep. Abigail Spanberger. Despite serving alongside popular Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, Earle-Sears is struggling to close the gap and overtake her opponent.

Earle-Sears is trailing Spanberger not only in the polls but also in fundraising. While Earle-Sears has yet to release her Q2 numbers, in Q1 she raised $3.1M, whereas Spanberger raked in more than double at $6.7M. In Q2, Spanberger raised $10.7M, according to her campaign.