The Democrats are desperate for a win. But they are in a bad spot.
Because a Democrat in a blue state was put in a check-mate with one question from their Republican opponent.
Virginia Gubernatorial Race Ignites Over Transgender Bathroom Policies
The 2025 Virginia gubernatorial race is shaping up to be a battleground over core American values, with school bathroom and locker room policies at the heart of the fight. Republican candidate Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears is taking a bold stand against radical gender ideology in schools, while her Democratic opponent, Abigail Spanberger, is ducking the issue, leaving voters questioning her commitment to common sense and safety.
Earle-Sears has seized the moment, slamming Virginia school districts for defying the Trump administration’s push to enforce bathroom and locker room access based on biological s*x, not gender identity.
“That is the reality, that is the danger, and it’s about keeping schools focused on reading, writing, and math, not ideology,” Earle-Sears declared, addressing a policy that allowed a registered male s*x offender to expose himself to women and girls in school facilities as recently as September 2024. Her unwavering stance resonates with Virginians who demand schools be safe spaces for learning, not battlegrounds for cultural experiments.
Meanwhile, Spanberger, a three-term congresswoman with a history of championing transgender ideology, has gone silent. Once vocal in her support for policies allowing biological males in female spaces, she’s now dodging reporters and refusing to clarify her position. This retreat has left her vulnerable, as Earle-Sears hammers her for hiding from the debate.
“Where are you [Abigail Spanberger]?” Earle-Sears demanded after the school board meeting. “Why are you not here? You believe that, well, biological men should be allowed in girls’ sports and be able to undress in front of our biological females in the locker room. Where is she to defend that position? She’s in hiding.” Her words cut through the noise, exposing Spanberger’s reluctance to face voters on this critical issue.
Earle-Sears didn’t stop there. “Well, you don’t become governor by hiding,” she continued. “She won’t even stand up for her side of the political aisle. Her side ought to be asking her, where are you?” The Republican’s direct approach is galvanizing voters who are fed up with politicians sidestepping accountability.
The controversy stems from five Northern Virginia school districts, including Arlington, which the Trump administration has flagged for violating civil rights laws by clinging to left-wing gender policies. These districts’ defiance has sparked outrage among parents and conservatives who see it as a direct threat to student safety and fairness.
Earle-Sears’ campaign is capitalizing on the momentum, launching a new ad that contrasts her common-sense approach with Spanberger’s evasiveness. “She is for nonsense. I am for commonsense,” Earle-Sears states in the ad, drawing a clear line in the sand. The ad has struck a chord, amplifying her message across the commonwealth.
Recent polls show Earle-Sears closing the gap on Spanberger, cutting the Democrat’s lead by 10 points since May. According to Roanoke College, Spanberger now holds a slim 46% to 39% edge, a sign that voters are responding to Earle-Sears’ bold leadership and Spanberger’s apparent weakness on the issue.
It should also be noted that Democrats have very recently been upset in the gubernatorial race in that state of Virginia. The current governor, Glenn Youngkin, won in a major upset against Democrat opponent Terry McAuliffe in a race that Youngkin was behind McAuliffe in to the tune of 10 points, according to surveys. Making matters even more interesting is that post-election data found that Youngkin largely won that race because of his defense of parental rights on the issue of transgenderism, never bending the knee to the “woke” far-Left crowd.
Furthermore, Spanberger’s past is catching up with her. In 2022, she cosponsored and voted for the Equality Act, a bill critics say would erase female-only spaces and jeopardize women’s sports. She also opposed legislation to keep biological males out of girls’ and women’s athletics, a position that now seems out of step with growing public sentiment.
Even some Democrats are breaking ranks, with nearly half of Democratic-leaning adults supporting restrictions on biological males in women’s sports, according to a February Pew Research Center survey. A quarter also back policies requiring bathroom use based on biological s*x, signaling a shift away from the radical agenda Spanberger once embraced.
Yet Spanberger remains mum, avoiding questions from local Virginia outlets and ignoring requests for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation. Her silence is deafening, especially as the education debate intensifies in Northern Virginia, where parents are demanding accountability from school boards and elected officials.
Earle-Sears, by contrast, is leaning into the fight, positioning herself as a defender of science, fairness, and parental rights. Her presence at the Arlington school board meeting sent a powerful message: she’s not afraid to confront the left’s agenda head-on, even when it’s unpopular in liberal strongholds.
As the November election approaches, the contrast between the candidates couldn’t be starker. Earle-Sears is out front, rallying Virginians around a platform of safety and sanity in schools, while Spanberger’s refusal to engage risks alienating voters who want leaders with the courage to take a stand.
