Virginia police group splits ticket, backing Spanberger and downballot Republicans

The Virginia Police Benevolent Association split its endorsement ahead of the state’s elections in November, backing Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger, Republican lieutenant governor candidate John Reid and incumbent Attorney General Jason Miyares (R) on Wednesday.

“Abigail Spanberger grew up in a law enforcement family and is a former federal law enforcement officer herself, so she understands the responsibility of putting on the badge,” said the group’s president, Joe Woloszyn, in a statement.

“As a Member of Congress, she repeatedly voted to increase funding for local police departments and sheriff’s offices — and she was relentless in pushing her bipartisan Social Security Fairness Act across the finish line to secure the earned benefits of thousands of Virginia’s retired police officers,” he continued.

The endorsement is a blow for the GOP gubernatorial candidate, current Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears (R), who received the group’s backing in 2021 when the group backed the entire Republican ticket.

The development comes amid concerns from Republicans about Earle-Sears’s strength at the top of the ticket. According to Decision Desk HQ, Earle-Sears has not led in a single poll this year. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the race as “lean Democratic.”

Spanberger also appears to be leading in the fundraising race.

Last month, Spanberger reported a massive second-quarter fundraising haul of $10.7 million. Earle-Sears’s campaign announced that Thursday marked its “best single fundraising day” since its launch in September, but it did not publicly disclose how much it had raised.

According to the latest campaign finance data from the Virginia Public Access Project, Spanberger has raised $27 million since she jumped into the race in November 2023 and has more than $15 million in the bank. Earle-Sears has raised more than $11 million since launching her campaign and has more than $4 million cash on hand.

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