Overview

• During the Norfolk debate, Abigail Spanberger condemned Jay Jones’s 2022 texts but repeatedly declined to say whether she still endorses him or to call for him to leave the race.
• Winsome Earle-Sears pressed the issue throughout the hour and has aired new spots linking Spanberger to Jones, including a 30-second ad titled "Two Bullets."
• The Republican Governors Association injected an additional $1.5 million to support Earle-Sears after the revelations, bringing its total near the rival DGA’s roughly $5 million.
• Virginia election officials say it is effectively too late to remove or replace Jones on printed ballots, with early voting already underway.
• Jones has apologized for the texts, many Democrats have denounced his rhetoric without urging withdrawal, and public polling still shows Spanberger leading the governor’s race.