Logo

WASHINGTON — President Trump did not endorse Republican Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears in the Old Dominion’s governor’s race Monday – despite pouring money and time into turning out Republican voters ahead of the state election. 

The president’s conspicuous non-endorsement of Earle-Sears during a tele-rally with Glenn Youngkin, the commonwealth’s term-limited governor, came as he raved about Jason Miyares, the GOP incumbent in Virginia’s hotly-contested attorney general race. 

“Get out and vote tomorrow for Jason Miyares – very, so important – and the Republicans up and down the ballot,” Trump said. 


  President Trump, pictured returning to the White House Sunday, will host “tele-rallies” for New Jersey and Virginia Republicans on Monday night. REUTERS President Trump, pictured returning to the White House Sunday, will host “tele-rallies” for New Jersey and Virginia Republicans on Monday night. REUTERS

The president described Miyares as “maybe the best” attorney general’s in the country, in his spirited endorsement.  

“Jason Miyares is a fantastic man,” Trump told Virginia voters. “A fantastic attorney general is acknowledged by everybody to be like, top – and he has my complete and total endorsement.” 

Unlike Miyares, Earle-Sears and her running mate John Reid lag badly in polling behind their Democratic opponents.

“Trump doesn’t endorse losers,” a GOP operative familiar with the situation told The Post. 


  Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger is the front-runner in Virginia’s governor’s race. Getty Images Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger is the front-runner in Virginia’s governor’s race. Getty Images

  Republican gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sear is trailing Spanberger by an average of near 10% in polling. Getty Images Republican gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sear is trailing Spanberger by an average of near 10% in polling. Getty Images

“The White House has basically written off Virginia’s governor’s race a while ago due to the bad campaign ran by Sears… the view is Earle-Sears has been particularly bad,” a source close to the Trump administration told The Post.

“I think the thing they’re most focused on is the margin in New Jersey.”

Trump and his aides still believe it could be a good night once the votes are counted, particularly if Jack Ciattarelli pulls off an upset or comes close in the New Jersey’s governor’s race, where polls show him trailing by single digits to Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill.

Trump hosted a tele-rally for Ciattarelli shortly after his get-out-and-vote message to Virginians. 

“The polls are looking really good. They’re just about even,” the president said of the Garden State governor’s race. “And they say even, for us, is a win.” 

Trump told New Jersey voters that “this is maybe your finest chance” to elect a Republican governor and urged them to “vote for Jack Ciattarelli.” 


  Incumbent Virginia AG Jason Myares, right, is neck-and-neck with Democrat Jay Jones. AP Incumbent Virginia AG Jason Myares, right, is neck-and-neck with Democrat Jay Jones. AP

“He’s a fantastic guy. He’s a winner. He loves the state. He has given up so much to do this,” the president said of the GOP nominee. “It would be horrible for the state if he lost, and it’ll be one of the greatest days in the history of New Jersey if he wins.” 

Over the weekend, Trump authorized the Republican National Committee to spend about $1 million each in both states on turnout efforts, Fox News reported.

In Virginia, the focus for Trump allies is mostly on Miyares’ contest against scandal-scarred Democrat Jay Jones, who in text messages fantasized about the deaths of conservative colleague in the state legislature and his family. 

Jones also was busted driving 116 miles per hour in 2022 — a jailable offense in the state — and then claimed to perform half of his 1,000 hours of community service at his own political organization.

Trump described Jones as a “demented person” and “radical-left maniac” during the Virginia tele-rally. 


  Republicans are hoping for an upset in New Jersey for Jack Ciattarelli, pictured with his son, U.S. Army Captain Jake Ciattarelli. Kyle Mazza/Shutterstock Republicans are hoping for an upset in New Jersey for Jack Ciattarelli, pictured with his son, U.S. Army Captain Jake Ciattarelli. Kyle Mazza/Shutterstock

Polls show Miyares locked in a dead heat with Jones, which could allow the Republican to continue his legal efforts to derail the Democrat-led state legislature’s attempt to gerrymander congressional districts next year to counterbalance redistricting in GOP-led states.

The midterm congressional elections next year will determine if the final two years of Trump’s presidency feature Democratic-led investigations and gridlock for his legislative priorities.

Miyares’ re-election would also mean one less Democratic state AG suing to contest Trump policies.

At the top of the ballot, Democratic candidate Rep. Abigail Spanberger could easily become Virginia’s first female governor, if polling is accurate. Her running mate Ghazala Hashmi would be one of very few Muslims to hold statewide office.

Republicans had hoped for their own historic firsts.

Earle-Sears would be the country’s first black woman to serve as governor and Reid, a former talk radio host, would be one of the country’s most prominent openly gay officials.


  Former President Barack Obama hosted a Saturday rally for Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherril. Getty Images Former President Barack Obama hosted a Saturday rally for Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherril. Getty Images

Earle-Sears, however, is widely viewed as an awkward public speaker who failed to connect with voters, and her bid wasn’t helped by the fact that Reid allegedly posted white supremacist and fetish pornography on a since-deleted Tumblr account.

A different source close to the White House said, “New Jersey, I guess, would be only one that I think is important.”

“New Jersey would be good wind in our sails and silence some of the doomers,” the source said.

Ciattarelli, a former state legislator, claimed 48% of the vote in 2021 against Democrat Phil Murphy, losing by a mere 3.2 percentage points.

Sherrill has been battered by questions about her role in a Naval Academy cheating scandal, for which she was barred from walking at graduation in 1994. She says she didn’t turn in the culprits.

Trump, who lost both states last November, has kept a relatively low profile — commenting much more frequently on the New York City mayoral race, where he issues near-daily denunciations of socialist Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani.

Trump has resigned himself to “communist” Mandani winning and suggested he will help sink the Democratic brand and be “one of the best things to ever happen” for Republicans.

Comments
anonymous profile image
Powered by RoundtableBuilt on infrastructure designed for real-time media. Learn more at RTB.io.© Roundtable 2026. By using this site you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy