Overview

• During Friday’s live CNN interview, Lt. Gov. Sears accused Manu Raju of trying to “trap” her as he questioned her about President Trump’s silence on endorsing her gubernatorial bid.
• When pressed on why Trump has not formally endorsed her, Sears declined to answer, highlighting her campaign’s focus on Virginia issues rather than past controversies.
• Raju challenged Sears on the Trump administration’s cuts to the federal workforce, which she defended as vital to Virginia’s economic growth.
• She reiterated her votes for Trump in all three elections, defending his record on economic growth despite her 2022 remark calling him “a liability.”
• Facing a roughly 12-point polling deficit alongside significantly less cash on hand than Democrat Abigail Spanberger, Sears’s campaign recently swapped managers, receiving a modest $500,000 contribution from the Republican Governors Association.