Latest news with #Earle-Sears
The Hill
5 hours ago
- Business
- The Hill
Virginia Republicans sound alarm over governor's race: ‘It's a disaster'
Virginia Republicans are raising alarm bells about the state of Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears's (R) campaign in the state's closely watched gubernatorial race. Last week, news broke that Earle-Sears's campaign manager Will Archer was removed from his post but would remain on her campaign in a different capacity. The development came as polls show Democratic candidate Abigail Spanberger in the lead. Now, some Republicans are warning that further shake-ups are needed if they want to win in what is seen as the most significant bellwether this year. 'From my vantage point and the people we're talking to, it's a disaster,' said one Virginia Republican operative who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Conservative talk show host John Fredericks has been one of the most vocal figures to raise concerns about the state of the race, pointing directly to Earle-Sears's campaign. 'This thing is a clown car she's got going on,' Fredericks, who served as Trump's 2016 and 2020 Virginia campaign chair, said in an interview with The Hill, calling the campaign 'a dreadful operation.' 'And it's frustrating everyone in Virginia,' he added. Virginia Republican Party Chair and state Sen. Mark Peake (R) pushed back on Fredericks's characterization of the campaign as 'a clown car' during an interview with the talk show host last week. 'I think we're fixing it as we speak,' Peake told Fredericks, referring to the campaign. 'Lt. Gov. Sears had a strategy at the beginning of the campaign. I think they've executed it well.' 'I think what you are about to see based on what has happened this week is a change of strategy in the campaign, which is now going to be more obvious, more out in the open, more public, more events, and much more responsive to media,' he continued. A Virginia Commonwealth University poll released last week showed Spanberger leading Earle-Sears with 49 percent support to 37 percent among registered voters in the state. The poll also showed downballot race margins mirroring the top of the ticket. Last week, Spanberger also reported a massive second-quarter fundraising haul of $10.7 million. Earle-Sears's campaign announced that Thursday marked its 'best single fundraising day' since their launch last September, but it did not publicly disclose how much it had raised. 'We'd like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the liberal media. They spent all week attacking Winsome, and it turns out that was the best fundraiser we've ever had,' said Mark Harris, Earle-Sears's general consultant. 'The media wants this to be a coronation for the left, but Virginia voters clearly have other plans. If this keeps up, we might start sending them flowers,' he continued. According to the latest campaign finance data from the Virginia Public Access Project, Spanberger has raised $27 million since she jumped into the race in November 2023 and has more than $15 million in the bank. Earle-Sears has raised more than $11 million since launching her campaign and has more than $4 million cash on hand. On top of the fundraising and polling disparities, Republicans have also expressed concern over the optics of the shake-up involving Archer, who worked as a pastor prior to joining the campaign, coupled with the exit of Earle-Sears's former political director, Richard Wagner. One GOP strategist said the developments are emblematic of 'a lack of experience on Winsome's campaign right now.' 'It's disappointing,' the strategist said. 'It's easy to go win races in wave years, but competitive races take a competitive edge. And right now with Winsome's team you're not getting any of that from her very well-paid consultants.' 'They just don't seem to have a fire under them. It's more like a safe-seat race than one where you have to bulldoze your way across the commonwealth to add to the coalition to win a very purple state.' There's also a concern that Earle-Sears's standing could drag down the rest of the Republican ticket, which is made up of technically separate races. In the lieutenant governor's race, state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi (D) leads conservative talk show host John Reid with 46 percent support to 36 percent, while in the attorney general race, former state Del. Jay Jones (D) leads current Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares (R) with 47 percent support to 38 percent. The last time Virginians voted to split a ticket was in 2005, when now-Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) was elected governor and Republican Bill Bolling won the lieutenant governor's race. Miyares is seen by many Republicans in the state as the strongest component of the GOP ticket, given his incumbency status and what Republicans see as his talent on the campaign trail. According to the Virginia Public Access Project, Miyares has nearly $7 million cash on hand, which is more than Earle-Sears's own. 'If she can't raise a lot of money soon, there's going to be a sense that the best thing they can do is try to salvage the Miyares campaign because an attorney general in Virginia has independent powers,' said veteran Virginia political analyst Bob Holsworth. 'Sears at the moment is not defining the campaign,' he continued. 'The most visible Republican campaign is the campaign against Jay Jones.' Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), who is term-limited, is seen as one of the best hopes for Republicans. The governor is still seen as relatively popular as he approaches the end of his tenure. Additionally, Earle-Sears and Miyares benefited from Youngkin's 2021 campaign, which saw Republicans make inroads throughout the commonwealth. 'The only thing that can save [Earle-Sears] is Glenn Youngkin,' Fredericks told The Hill. 'Glenn Youngkin has to take this campaign over right now, lock, stock and barrel. 'Other than that, she and the entire ticket is going to get blown out,' he added. When pressed by Fredericks on when the governor and his political apparatus would 'take this thing over,' Youngkin said that 'we've got to go to work as a group.' 'I am deeply engaged with them,' he said, citing events he and the lieutenant governor have done together. 'I'm going to be campaigning for all of the candidates. This is going to be an important run for us to make sure that everybody understands where we are today is not a given.' Youngkin added that at this point during his 2021 race against former Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D), he was down in the polls between 6 and 11 points. Fredericks told The Hill last week that he believes Earle-Sears and her campaign have about two weeks to turn things around, noting that Spanberger is running out the clock in the meantime. 'She's going against a weak campaign and so she's playing four-corners keep-away basketball,' he said. 'You get a big lead, you're in there early in the fourth corner, you just run out the clock.'
Politico
17 hours ago
- Business
- Politico
Republicans make a last gasp in Virginia as Winsome Earle-Sears looks to shake up her campaign
With little more than 100 days until Election Day, Earle-Sears is banking on a staff shake-up to help steady the campaign. 'At the end of the day, this is just … refocusing for the last push,' said one person close to the campaign who, like others in this story, was granted anonymity to speak freely about staff reshuffling. The person characterized the move as a positive change that most staff welcomed, arguing the reports of the campaign being in peril are overblown. ''Let's rip off this tabloid Band-Aid and move on' is kind of the overall vibe,' the person added. It's not the first staff change to hit the beleaguered campaign. Following mounting pressure from fellow Republicans — including some within Trump's orbit who have referred to campaign staff as 'amateurs' — the campaign made changes, including the reassignment of her campaign manager, Will Archer, a pastor with no political experience. (People familiar with the campaign say he will continue in a role focused on voter outreach.) Richard Wagner, Earle-Sears' political director, has left the campaign, NBC News reported. On top of the personnel shake-ups, Earle-Sears has run into controversy. Earlier this year the Earle-Sears campaign blasted a fundraising email comparing DEI to American slavery, where she remarked: 'Slaves did not die in the fields so that we could call ourselves victims now in 2025.' Last week, a publication called Dogwood released an audio clip of Earle-Sears in which she appeared to acknowledge the cuts to the federal workforce negatively impacting her standing with voters, telling supporters that she and Spanberger were 'neck and neck' before her Democratic opponent brought up DOGE repeatedly and began opening up a lead. Northern Virginia is home to a lot of federal workers who were targeted by DOGE, and in March the progressive Meidas Touch Network released a different recording in which Earle-Sears appeared to be downplaying the severity of the DOGE cuts.
Politico
a day ago
- Business
- Politico
Republicans make a last gasp at Virginia
What up, Recast fam. On today's agenda: With her campaign far behind in polling and fundraising, Virginia GOP gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears is set to announce staff changes later this week, according to three people familiar with campaign personnel decisions. Earle-Sears, Virginia's lieutenant governor, is attempting to become the first Black woman ever elected governor in the nation's history — and the first Virginia Republican in nearly 30 years to succeed a sitting GOP governor. Democrats and Republicans alike see the governor's race as an important bellwether ahead of the 2026 midterms and an appraisal of President Donald Trump's first few months back in office. But a recent poll from Virginia Commonwealth University has her trailing Democrat Abigail Spanberger by double digits — 49 percent to 37 percent. The latest campaign finance reports also show Spanberger with a significant fundraising advantage. Between June 6 and June 30, Spanberger raised $4.2 million and had more than $15 million on hand, whereas Earle-Sears raised only $2.3 million in the same period. Her campaign has $4.5 million cash on hand as of July 15. With little more than 100 days until Election Day, Earle-Sears is banking on a staff shake-up to help steady the campaign. 'At the end of the day, this is just … refocusing for the last push,' said one person close to the campaign who was granted anonymity to speak freely about staff reshuffling. The person characterized the move as a positive change that most staff welcomed, arguing the reports of the campaign being in peril are overblown. ''Let's rip off this tabloid Band-Aid and move on' is kind of the overall vibe,' the person added. Was The Recast forwarded to you by a friend? Don't forget to subscribe to the newsletter here. You'll get a weekly breakdown of how race and identity are the DNA of American politics and policy. It's not the first staff change to hit the beleaguered campaign. Following mounting pressure from fellow Republicans — including some within Trump's orbit who have referred to campaign staff as 'amateurs' — changes were made, including the reassignment of her campaign manager, Will Archer, a pastor with no political experience. (People familiar with the campaign say he will continue in a role focused on voter outreach.) There is also a report from NBC News that Richard Wagner, Earle-Sears' political director, has left the campaign. On top of the personnel shake-ups, Earle-Sears has run into controversy. Earlier this year the Earle-Sears campaign blasted a fundraising email comparing DEI to American slavery, where she remarked: 'Slaves did not die in the fields so that we could call ourselves victims now in 2025.' Last week, a publication called Dogwood released an audio clip of Earle-Sears in which she appeared to acknowledge the cuts to the federal workforce negatively impacting her standing with voters, telling supporters that she and Spanberger were 'neck and neck' before her Democratic opponent brought up DOGE repeatedly and began opening up a lead. Northern Virginia is home to a lot of federal workers who were targeted by DOGE, and in March the progressive Meidas Touch Network released a different recording in which Earle-Sears appeared to be downplaying the severity of the DOGE cuts. 'I've always had concerns about this race, but not because of Winsome, just because of the overall environment,' said one Republican strategist given anonymity to discuss the state of the race. 'I expected to be where we are, and when I saw a lot of the DOGE activities and Elon Musk activities having a major impact on Northern Virginia, it gave me even more of a concern.' Taken together, the campaign is amplifying the monthslong concerns that Earle-Sears does not have enough time or the right personnel in place to get the campaign on track in the final stretch. 'This is not the kind of conversation you want to have as an organization in the middle of July in Virginia politics, because voting starts in 60 days,' said Republican Chris Saxman, a former member of the Virginia House of Delegates, referring to the period when early voting begins in Virginia. Those close to the campaign say they are hoping to secure in the fall 'one or two' debates with Spanberger, a format in which they expect Earle-Sears will shine. But others remain skeptical about her prospects. 'Winsome is not going to trust anyone who comes in here in the last 100 days,' said one Republican strategist keeping tabs on the race. 'I mean, if she were really serious, she would probably fire the consultants and just get a team to try to have a respectable showing and not lose by 15 points.' We'll keep tabs on how these upcoming staff announcements all shake out. All the best,The Recast Team EX-LOUISVILLE OFFICER SENTENCED IN TAYLOR KILLING Brett Hankison, one of three Louisville police officers involved in the 2020 shooting death of Breonna Taylor, was sentenced to 33 months in prison — a sharp contrast to the Trump administration's request that Hankison receive a prison sentence of just one day. Taylor's family had been pushing for Hankison to serve a lengthy sentence. (The maximum sentence for his conviction would have been life in prison.) In a Tuesday morning post on X, family attorney Ben Crump said: 'We respect the court's decision, but we will continue to call out the DOJ's failure to stand firmly behind Breonna's rights.' Hankison was acquitted on state charges of wanton endangerment in 2022. The following year, a federal case against him ended in a mistrial when the jury could not reach a verdict. But last year, Hankison was convicted on one count of violating Taylor's civil rights by using excessive force. He discharged his firearm multiple times during the botched narcotics raid on Taylor's home. None of his shots hit anyone, but they did penetrate a neighboring apartment, where a man, pregnant woman and child had been sleeping. The deadly incident occurred when officers executed a controversial 'no-knock warrant' one night at Taylor's home in predominantly Black west Louisville. Officers said the raid was connected to an investigation of Taylor's ex-boyfriend, Jamarcus Glover, who was not present at the scene and did not live there. No narcotics were discovered. When the officers barged into Taylor's home, her then-boyfriend, Kenneth Walker, said he mistook them for intruders and fired a shot, hitting officer Jonathan Mattingly in the leg. The officers responded with a barrage of bullets, killing 26-year-old Taylor. Neither Mattingly nor Myles Cosgrove, the other officer involved in the shooting, were charged. All three officers are white. Taylor was Black. Her killing came during the height of the 2020 national protests raising awareness of law enforcement's harsh policing tactics during encounters with Black citizens. Taylor's name, along with George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Rayshard Brooks, became a rallying cry at the nationwide protests calling for an end to harsh policing and systemic racism. WHAT WE'RE WATCHING THIS WEEK Epstein debacle scuttles votes — Internal party drama surrounding the Jeffrey Epstein saga brought the House Rules Committee to a standstill on Monday as several of my POLITICO colleagues Meredith Lee Hill, Mia McCarthy, Cassandra Dumay and Calen Razor report: 'House Republicans will scrap several votes this week…' And more… TODAY'S CULTURE NEWS Malcolm-Jamal Warner Dead at 54 — The musician and actor best known as Theo Huxtable on 'The Cosby Show' died while vacationing in Costa Rica. Read tributes and remembrances from Bill Cosby, Tracee Ellis Ross, Morris Chestnut and more. Josh Johnson elevated to hosting role this week — The comic and correspondent on 'The Daily Show' will get a shot behind the anchor chair this week, marking his first time serving as host of the program. Speaking of 'The Daily Show'… Jon Stewart, the program's legendary host who serves as the Monday anchor, tore into Comedy Central's parent company, Paramount, with a litany of expletives — and a song with a church choir — for axing 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.' Starts around the 16:30 mark here. Finally check out Tyler, the Creator's latest bop, 'Stop Playing With Me.'
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Voters still aren't buying what Virginia Republicans are selling
Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears hoped winning the Republican nomination for governor of Virginia last month would help her party move past a primary season defined by lurid sex scandals and a boiling MAGA turf war. Instead, Earle-Sears is wrapping up her first month as nominee with a major campaign shake-up — and the GOP brand is facing an unprecedented losing streak. On Thursday, Earle-Sears asked her campaign manager, Will Archer, to step aside. A pastor by trade, Archer had never managed a campaign or participated in politics before. When campaign finance filings published this week showed Democrat Abigail Spanberger outraising Earle-Sears by 2-to-1, Republican leaders finally convinced their candidate it was time to part with her inexperienced staffer. Earle-Sears' campaign reshuffle comes at a moment when Virginia's Republicans are trying, and failing, to convince voters they're still a functional party. That's proving a lot harder than Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Earle-Sears planned, because the state GOP just can't seem to stop embarrassing itself in public. Some fumbles have been especially striking. After nearly a decade topping the ranks of CNBC's Top States for Business, Virginia just lost its coveted first place spot to neighboring North Carolina. It's a ranking Youngkin takes seriously, to the point that he made attracting new businesses and defending the state's ranking a key element of his 2021 campaign strategy. Safeguarding Virginia's economic miracle was supposed to be Youngkin's defining legacy. Good luck selling Virginians on the GOP's know-how today, when local magazines publish discount sections for laid-off federal workers and rural communities across the state brace for sweeping hospital and clinic closures. Far from being the governor who brightened Virginia's economic flame, Youngkin is now permanently tarred in voters' minds by his defense of President Donald Trump's unpopular federal job cuts. It's a reputation toxic enough to drag down his entire party. Republicans are starting to see voters' skepticism in their dwindling pool of political contributions. Spanberger's $10.7 million in donations this quarter is nearly double Earle-Sears' own $5.9 million haul. Those fundraising shortfalls cost Archer his job this week, but swapping out campaign staff won't suddenly make Republican policies popular. And the numbers get even worse the deeper you go. The campaign for lieutenant governor is also proving to be an absolute disaster for the GOP. In that race, scandal-plagued Republican nominee John Reid has seemingly given up fundraising at all. Reid raised only about $440,000 last quarter and only has $163,082 on hand, compared to Democratic nominee state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi's $3.4 million. Hashmi also has nearly 10 times as much cash on hand as Reid. At a time in the campaign when Republicans should be putting Democrats on the defensive, the GOP's top two candidates are scrambling to keep the lights on. Virginians are getting a free preview of the mismanagement, disorder and chaos that would dominate an Earle-Sears administration. Virginia's Democrats would like to make sure every voter gets a good, long look at Republicans' political circus, and they've just got a huge assist from the Democratic National Committee. On July 15, DNC Chairman Ken Martin announced a $1.5 million contribution to Democratic Party of Virginia, a notable sum for the national party to invest in an off-year state race and a sign of confidence in the party's chances in November. That money will build campaign infrastructure and hire staff in key legislative districts, ultimately allowing Democrats to reach more voters more effectively. Republicans' problems are multiplied by the fact that Democrats are competing in every House of Delegates district this year, forcing cash-strapped Republicans to spend more money on more races for longer than anyone budgeted. At their current fundraising levels, GOP officials will soon need to make tough choices about where to cut back — just as the DNC's $1.5 million cash infusion hits Democratic campaign accounts. While Democrats prepare to embark on a summer spending spree, Earle-Sears' campaign is busy fending off accusations from a top MAGA official that her campaign is a 'clown car' skidding towards disaster. Spanberger and Democrats have leapt into the lead by making this year's election a referendum on competence. Virginia's dysfunctional Republicans don't stand a chance. This article was originally published on
NBC News
6 days ago
- Business
- NBC News
Republican Winsome Earle-Sears shakes up campaign staff in Virginia governor's race
Virginia Republican Winsome Earle-Sears' gubernatorial campaign said Thursday that it demoted one key staffer and parted ways with another as it lags in the polls and fundraising less than four months out from the general election. Will Archer, a pastor with no prior major political experience, was removed from his post as Earle-Sears' campaign manager, Mark Harris, a general consultant for the campaign, said on a call with reporters. Archer will remain on the campaign in a role that focuses on voter turnout in the Northern Virginia area, said Harris, who also indicated there was not a plan to announce a new campaign manager imminently. 'Will, who was the campaign manager, is transitioning out,' Harris said. Asked when a new campaign manager would be announced, Harris replied, 'When we decide to let you guys know.' Harris also told reporters that Richard Wagner, Earle-Sears' political director, has left the campaign. 'Richard has moved on to another race,' Harris said. The Washington Post first reported news of Archer's new role in the campaign. The staff shakeup comes as Earle-Sears, the state's Republican lieutenant governor, has struggled to gain traction against Democrat Abigail Spanberger, a former congresswoman, in the race to succeed GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin. A poll released Wednesday by Virginia Commonwealth University found Spanberger leading Earle-Sears 49% to 37% among registered voters. Those results were outside of the poll's margin of error of plus or minus 4.16 percentage points. And new fundraising reports released this week showed Spanberger with an advantage over Earle-Sears. Spanberger raised $4.3 million during the most recent reporting period, June 6 to June 30, and had $15.2 million in cash on hand. By comparison, Earle-Sears raised $2.4 million and had $4.5 million in cash on hand. Republicans have criticized Earle-Sears' campaign, saying that it lacks discipline and consistency. In interviews last month, Republican operatives in Virginia and elsewhere grumbled that the campaign has lacked a central message. But they also cautioned that it remained far too early to write off Earle-Sears — a message that was reiterated by the campaign itself on Thursday. 'We are at the very beginning of this fight,' said Harris, who noted that Youngkin won four years ago after starting the race behind. 'Our goal is to win and beat Abigail Spanberger,' he said. 'I know that everyone is treating this race much like a fait accompli, and I think much like that was wrong in 2021, once again it will be wrong in 2025.' Harris acknowledged that, 'we definitely are the underdog' but that 'there is a clear path to victory for us to win.' 'We need high turnout. We have to work hard to get high turnout,' he said.
