Winsome Earle-Sears, the lieutenant governor of Virginia, released a campaign advertisement on the social media platform X, urging de-escalation in political discourse. This move was in response to recent remarks by Abigail Spanberger. The statement was made public on X.
“When the Left calls for rage, everything burns and people get hurt,” said Earle-Sears, Lt. Gov. of Virginia. “Virginia is for lovers—not rage. Vote to keep it that way.”
According to the Sears campaign, the one-minute digital ad was posted on September 29, 2025. It responds to Spanberger’s comment “let your rage fuel you” by contrasting it with Virginia’s tourism motto. The advertisement features clips and headlines about political violence and concludes with the message, “Virginia is for lovers. Not rage.” Sears further emphasized this theme in her post: “When the Left calls for rage, everything burns and people get hurt. But Virginia is for lovers—not rage. Vote to keep it that way.” The Washington Examiner provided a summary of the content and timing of this release.
Following Spanberger’s remark, which gained renewed attention in late September, Virginia Delegate Kim Taylor reported receiving a death threat via text message. Dinwiddie County authorities announced an arrest related to this threat on September 26, 2025. Coverage indicated that Taylor associated the threat with a broader climate of heated rhetoric, while Spanberger’s side argued that her comment referred to political activism activities such as postcards and phone-banking.
In another incident, Loudoun County authorities charged a man from Purcellville after he allegedly sent texts threatening to shoot Republican Delegate Geary Higgins. Prosecutors said that this conduct constitutes a Class 6 felony. Media outlets published excerpts of the explicit message and detailed the timeline of the complaint, highlighting that threats against public officials are under active investigation. This incident intensified calls from Republicans to reduce heated rhetoric and coincided with Sears’s “Not rage” message, underscoring safety concerns within Virginia politics.
Winsome Earle-Sears immigrated from Kingston, Jamaica at age six and served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1983 to 1986. She later held positions on the Virginia State Board of Education and as a presidential appointee to both the U.S. Census Bureau’s African American Committee and the VA Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Women Veterans. In 2021, she became the first Black woman elected statewide in Virginia when she assumed office as lieutenant governor—a role where she has focused on service, education, and public safety.
