ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR) – Virginia is one of only two states electing a new governor this fall, so the campaign trail is starting to heat up for a race that will garner national attention.
“I think people are going to be looking to Virginia to see how it is that we campaign, what it is that we are prioritizing, what the message is,” said Democratic candidate and former congresswoman Abigail Spanberger.
It is currently a two-woman race for the governor’s mansion in the commonwealth, between Spanberger and Republican Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears.
“It’s at the state level that you can have an impact that is almost immediate on the lives of business owners, on the lives of families, on the lives of kids in schools, on the lives of parents,” said Spanberger.
WFXR reached out to the Earle-Sears campaign to see if she is planning any trips to southwest Virginia, but her team only responded that the Lieutenant Governor will be in session until February 22.
Still, Earle-Sears was vocal about her candidacy at December’s economic summit in Richmond.
“As your next governor, I will not waver,” she said. “I will protect the principles that make Virginia exceptional.”
According to a January Emerson College poll, Spanberger held a slight one-point lead over her Republican opponent in what projects to be a very close race, especially after the red wave that swept the nation and the state this past November.
That means campaigning will be pivotal, and Spanberger just wrapped up a three-day swing in the southwest corner of the state during which she visited voters in Galax, Blacksburg, Roanoke, and beyond.
“She came to our part of the state,” said Roanoke voter Janet Schell. “I think sometimes we get written off and we shouldn’t do that because there really are other people like me who are passionate.”
Spanberger said that over the past three days in the region, she has heard a lot from residents about education and the cost of living in the area.
Meanwhile, Governor Glenn Youngkin has backed his Lieutenant Governor to replace him later this year.