New campaign ad from Democratic Party Gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger is turning her opponent’s own words into the central argument for her candidacy. Virginia’s Casting for the top job, Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earl Sears republican party Candidates as extremists LGBTQ+Lights says in the last sentence of the ad, “She’s wrong for Virginia.”
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45 second spot of title “it’s not discrimination,” Archival footage stitches together moments from last week’s heated debate at Norfolk State University, drawing a direct line between Earl Sears’ rhetoric and what the Spanberger campaign calls “an extreme decades-long record of opposing marriage equality and equal rights for all Virginians.”
Related: Republican candidate claims firing gays is ‘not discrimination’ during Virginia gubernatorial debate
The ad begins with a voiceover saying, “Winsome Earl Sears of the MAGA Republican Party.” The lieutenant governor responded on screen, “I’m speaking!” The narrator continues, “What she says about discrimination is extreme.”
A clip of a television news report is then shown, noting that the Republican gubernatorial candidate “wrote a handwritten note on the bill passed by the General Assembly, suggesting that he was morally opposed to same-sex marriage.” The ad then cuts to Spanberger saying, “My opponents have previously said they don’t think same-sex couples should be allowed to marry.”
Earl Sears’ voice interrupted. “That’s not discrimination.”
“My opponent has said in the past that he doesn’t mind being fired from a job for being gay. That’s discrimination,” Spanberger responded.
Earl Sears again replied, “That’s not discrimination.”
The ad ends with the narrator’s retort: ”Yes, Lieutenant Governor. That’s right. And what you said about rights couldn’t be more wrong. Winsome Earl Sears, so far right, but she’s wrong for Virginia.”
The ad is based on the now-viral moment from a debate in Norfolk where Earl Sears dismissed anti-LGBTQ+ bias in the workplace as “not discrimination.” Her remarks sparked an immediate backlash from around the world. political spectrum. LGBTQ+ Advocates and civil rights organizations, including: human rights campaigncondemned the comment, pointing out, “Yes, Lieutenant Governor Earl Sears, that is just discrimination.”
The debate was combative and chaotic, with Earl Sears repeatedly interrupting his opponent and the moderator, and repeatedly admonishing Spanberger to finish his remarks.
Mr. Spanberger’s ad highlights a series of actions that Democrats say reveal a consistent pattern. In 2024, Earl Sears left a handwritten note about Virginia’s law codifying marriage equality, saying he was “morally opposed to it.” In a 2025 interview, she reaffirmed her opposition to same-sex marriage and said she only supports civil unions. A resurfaced candidate survey shows his pledge to support allowing employers to fire workers for being gay or describing homosexuality as an “immoral lifestyle choice.”
Related: Virginia Republican Party attacks Democratic leader in gubernatorial race with President Trump’s ‘they/them’ ad
These positions, the Spanberger camp argues, show that Earle Sears’ comments during the debate were not gaffes but reflections of a worldview that placed her outside of the Virginia mainstream.
The ad also comes as Earl Sears continues to lean into provocative cultural messages. Her early commercial, “They/Them,” accused Spanberger of supporting “radical” transgender rights policies and ended with the line, “Radical Abigail Spanberger is not for us, it’s for them.” Critics said the ad reflected the Trump campaign’s 2024 culture war strategy and weaponized gender identity for political gain.
The issue also created tension within Earl Sears’ own ticket. Vice presidential candidate John Reed, who is gay and is battling a Nazi porn scandal, publicly acknowledged that he opposes Earl Sears “100 percent.” marriage equalityHowever, he said they would “put aside their differences” to run together. Mr. Reed was linked to the Tumblr blog through a username he uses on social media that fetishizes slavery and bondage and includes Nazi imagery. He denied any relationship with the blog. Mr. Reed also vowed to vote against any constitutional amendment that would provide for same-sex marriage. According to According to the Public Religion Research Institute, 68 percent of Virginians support marriage equality.
Related: Gay Virginia Republican lawmaker troubled by Nazi porn scandal boasts vice presidential candidate is ‘100% against’ marriage equality
Earl Sears’ debate comments contradict established federal law. in Bostock v. Clayton CountyIn 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that firing someone because they are gay or transgender constitutes discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
Check out the new ad below
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