President Donald Trump said he "would" endorse Virginia Republican gubernatorial candidate Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears, but did not actually give her the stamp of approval. (Andrew Harnik/Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)
POTENTIAL YOUNGKIN SUCCESSOR FOCUSED ON MESSAGE IN TOUGH RACE TO KEEP SWING-STATE 'RED'
Trump has already backed Jack Ciattarelli in New Jersey and Vivek Ramaswamy in Ohio. Polling out of Virginia may explain Trump's apparent reservations.
A recent Virginia Commonwealth Poll from July has Sears at 37% and Spanberger at 49%. Meanwhile, Youngkin's approval rating sits at 49%, nine points higher than Trump's numbers in the same poll.
Winsome Earle-Sears, Republican gubernatorial candidate for Virginia, center, during a campaign event at the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department in Vienna, Virginia, on Tuesday, July 1, 2025. Earle-Sears will face off with former Representative Abigail Spanberger this November, giving the state its first female governor. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Earle-Sears is trailing Spanberger not only in the polls but also in fundraising. While Earle-Sears has yet to release her Q2 numbers, in Q1 she raised $3.1M, whereas Spanberger raked in more than double at $6.7M. In Q2, Spanberger raised $10.7M, according to her campaign.
Rachel Wolf is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and FOX Business.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-voices-support-gop-gubernatorial-candidate-admits-she-has-tough-race