Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears is running to succeed Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
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.
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