Virginia
Va. statewide candidates differ widely on LGBTQ rights
Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears ‘morally opposed’ to marriage equality
A gay talk show host and a politician “morally opposed” to marriage equality are just some of the candidates competing for Virginia’s statewide office elections on Nov. 4.
The six candidates competing for governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general vary on LGBTQ policy largely by party lines. Recent polls find the three Democratic candidates maintain a collective lead.
According to Narissa Rahaman, the executive director of Equality Virginia, the outcome of the election will determine the probability of guaranteeing the freedom to marry in the Virginia constitution.
Equality Virginia is the state’s leading advocacy organization seeking LGBTQ equality.
“It’s imperative that we keep that forward momentum this November by supporting pro-equality candidates willing to defend Virginia against outrageous federal overreach,” Rahaman said.
Governor: Abigail Spanberger v. Winsome Earle-Sears
Former Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger and Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears are battling to fill Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s vacancy.
Earle-Sears, an anti-LGBTQ Republican, provided vague responses in 2022 when pressed about whether she supports a marriage equality ban in the state’s constitution. Earle-Sears further misgendered state Sen. Danica Roem, the first openly transgender person elected to the Virginia Senate, by calling her “sir” during a floor debate session in 2024.
The lieutenant governor refused to apologize.
Spanberger, a Democrat and former U.S. House Representative for Virginia’s 7th Congressional District, expressed her desire to protect LGBTQ rights on her campaign website and emphasized the need for resolute state leadership considering federal rollbacks of LGBTQ rights.
“Abigail Spanberger voted for the Respect for Marriage Act, co-sponsored the Equality Act three times and will be a governor for all Virginians who’s laser-focused on making Virginia more affordable for everyone,” Roem explained.
In June, Spanberger made a campaign stop at Arlington’s Freddie’s Beach Bar, a LGBTQ friendly establishment. Her supporters wore “Spanberger for Virginia” shirts in Pride-inspired color schemes. That same summer, Earle-Sears wrote a note opposing same-sex marriage when required to sign a law affirming marriage equality.
Polling from Christian Newport University on Sept. 18 found that Earle-Sears trails Spanberger by 12 points, with 52 percent of likely Virginian voters in favor of Spanberger.
The winner will be the state’s first woman governor.
Lieutenant governor: Ghazala Hashmi v. John Reid
State Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, a Democrat, expressed commitment to protecting LGBTQ people in the workplace, supported a bill to ban so-called conversation therapy, and backed nonbinary gender markers on drivers licenses.
Her Republican rival, John Reid, once described her as “radical.”
The host of a conservative talk show, Reid is the first openly gay person nominated for statewide office in Virginia. While in support of marriage equality, Reid pledged to vote against an amendment enshrining marriage equality in the state constitution.
Reid also denies the existence of trans people on his campaign website.
After securing the GOP nomination, Reid told the Washington Blade that extending gay rights to trans protections leads to “losing support that we worked very diligently for decades to build with the average person.”
Youngkin asked Reid to withdraw his candidacy this past spring following allegations that Reid posted pornographic images on social media. In a response video, Reid described the request as a “coordinated assassination attempt” due to his sexuality.
CNU found that Hashmi leads Reid by 11 points among likely voters.
Attorney general: Jason Miyares v. Jay Jones
Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares is running for reelection against former state Del. Jay Jones. In terms of their stances on the trans community, “the contrast is clear,” according to Roem.
Jones, a Democrat, co-sponsored bills prohibiting the limitation of health coverage based on gender identity and supports repealing the state’s statutory same sex marriage ban. In comparison, Miyares joined an interstate effort to prevent the expansion of Title IX protections intended to protect LGBTQ students. Further, in 2023, Miyares enforced state guidelines for schools to “defer to parents” when determining students’ names, pronouns, gender expression, and more.
“I’ve won four campaigns in which the Republicans ran on anti-trans messaging, including defeating the self-described ‘chief homophobe’ of Virginia (then-state Del. Bob Marshall) who authored the bathroom bill in 2017,” Roem said. “I’ve seen this strategy fail in Virginia elections four times before and I expect the same outcome this Nov. 4.”
CNU finds that Jones leads Miyares by seven points among likely voters.
Virginians can register to vote online, by mail or in person. Residents register on the same day during early voting, which opened on Sept. 19, or by submitting a provisional ballot at an assigned polling location on Election Day.
Virginia
Winsome Earle-Sears ‘Life and Marriage Tour’ to include Northern Va. stops
Voters to consider marriage equality, reproductive rights referenda in November
Former Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears has announced her campaign against efforts to enshrine marriage equality and reproductive rights in the state constitution will make several stops in Northern Virginia.
Her “Life and Marriage Tour” will include stops in Manassas, Winchester, and Harrisonburg. Earle-Sears said the “Life and Marriage Tour” will also travel to Virginia Beach, Lynchburg, Roanoke, Charlottesville, and other cities across Virginia “throughout September and October.”
The announcement did not include specific dates.
“Virginia, you’ve been asking where the Life and Marriage Tour is headed — here’s a look at our current tour locations,” she said on X on Tuesday. “We’ll be traveling across the commonwealth throughout September and October, and we’re still building the journey.”
Current Gov. Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat, last November defeated Earle-Sears, a Republican, in the race to succeed Republican Glenn Youngkin.
Voters in 2006 approved the Marshall-Newman Amendment, which defined marriage in Virginia as between a man and a woman.
Same-sex couples have been able to legally marry in Virginia since 2014. Youngkin a decade later signed a bill that codified marriage equality in state law.
Two successive legislatures must approve a proposed constitutional amendment before it can go to the ballot.
Spanberger signed bills that finalized the marriage equality and reproductive rights referenda’s language.
The referenda will take place on Nov. 3.
Virginia
Doug Ollivant to face Eugene Vindman in Va. 7th Congressional District
Republican defeated challengers in Tuesday’s primary
Republican Doug Ollivant will face off against incumbent U.S. Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-Va.) in Virginia’s 7th Congressional District.
Ollivant defeated his Republican opponents in Tuesday’s primary. Vindman ran unopposed.
Vindman in 2024 ran to succeed then-Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger in the U.S. House of Representatives after she ran for governor. Spanberger succeeded Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin in 2025.
U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) on Tuesday easily won his primary. All other Democratic incumbent members of Congress from Northern Virginia also won their respective primaries.
Virginia
Winsome Earle-Sears launches campaign against Va. marriage equality amendment
Former LG lost to Abigail Spanberger in 2025 gubernatorial race
Less than a year after losing Virginia’s gubernatorial race, former Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears is campaigning across the state against constitutional amendments that would protect marriage equality and reproductive freedom.
She is launching a statewide “Life and Marriage Tour” ahead of November’s election.
Although same-sex couples can legally marry under the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision, Virginia’s constitution still contains language that defines marriage as between one man and one woman. Supporters say removing the language would protect marriage equality should federal precedent change.
The original ban was written into the state constitution in 2006.
It has been hinted at in the past by Supreme Court Judge Clarence Thomas that he would consider revisiting Obergefell v. Hodges regarding contraception and marriage rights for same-sex couples. He stated this in his concurring opinion regarding the Dobbs v. Jackson ruling, which allows for state-level abortion bans.
Equality Virginia Executive Director Narissa Rahaman said removing the ban would bring the state’s constitution in line with existing law.
“20 years after banning marriage equality, it’s time for our commonwealth to fully complete our evolution — and finish the job on protecting marriage equality for all,” Rahaman said.
In an email to supporters, Earle-Sears said these amendments “raise serious concerns” and could alter principles about which Virginians care.
“That is why our efforts are focused not only on informing voters, but also encouraging them to carefully consider these proposals and vote NO on both amendments,” Earle-Sears said.
Virginia voters will consider three constitutional amendments this November.
Earle-Sears is campaigning for voters to reject two of them: the Virginia Remove Constitutional Same-Sex Marriage Ban Amendment and the Right to Reproductive Freedom Amendment.
A “Yes” vote on the Same-Sex Marriage Ban Amendment would include removing a provision that states marriage is between one man and one woman and prohibitng the state from denying a marriage license to two adults based on their sex, gender, or race, according to the Virginia Department of Elections.
In 2025, during debates against now Gov. Abigail Spanberger, Earle-Sears argued it is not discrimination to think that gay people should not be allowed to marry. She claims it conflicts with her faith.
According to ABC 8, in 2024 she wrote that she had a “moral opposition” to marriage equality, after former Gov. Glenn Youngkin, a Republican, signed a marriage equality bill that barred denying marriage licenses based on sex, gender, or race.
According to the Virginia Department of Elections, a “Yes” vote on the Reproductive Freedom amendment supports adding a section to the state constitution that would give Virginians the right to make and carry out decisions regarding reproductive healthcare, except in specific exemptions.
The Virginia Department of Elections wrote that if accepted, the amendment would allow the state government to pass laws to regulate abortion care in the third trimester of pregnancy, but require abortion care when it is medically needed to protect the life and health of the pregnant person or because the fetus is not viable.
During the 2025 election cycle, Earle-Sears was clear on her anti-abortion stance.
According to the Virginia Independent, she utilized campaign funds to donate to the Family Foundation of Virginia. The group is a faith-based, anti-abortion, and anti-in vitro fertilization non-profit.
The “Life and Marriage Tour” will include traveling throughout Virginia to speak with citizens, churches, community organizations, and local leaders. The exact locations have yet to be announced.
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