Gubernatorial hopeful Abigail Spanberger took her “Virginia Votes Bus Tour” to Annandale yesterday (Thursday), continuing to sell her campaign to voters in Fairfax County mere days before Election Day.
Speaking to roughly 100 attendees at Soricha Tea & Theater (7112 Columbia Pike), the Democratic candidate reiterated her focus on addressing affordability challenges for residents, noting that prices have jumped across the Commonwealth for housing, energy, healthcare and more.
“People in every corner of Virginia, they want a governor who is going to face these challenges head on, who’s going to work to lower costs in concert with the General Assembly, who recognizes the challenges that so many Virginia families are facing,” Spanberger told the crowd.
Spanberger then pivoted to the event itself, highlighting the role that small businesses — like Soricha — play within local and state economies.
“They’re the strength of our communities,” Spanberger said. “And in Virginia … we need a governor who will stand up for Virginia and make clear that attacks on Virginia’s workforce are an attack on, yes, their livelihoods, but it’s also an attack on our larger economy.”
With less than a week until voters head to the polls, Spanberger is seen as a frontrunner over Republican Winsome Earle-Sears, the incumbent lieutenant governor.
A Roanoke College poll released Thursday morning found Spanberger not only running ahead of Earle-Sears by a 10-point margin, but securing majority support from those surveyed: 51% compared to Earle-Sears’ 41%.
“We will win on Tuesday,” Spanberger said, “and when we do, we will send a message to the rest of the country, we will set an example for the rest of the country about what happens when communities all across Virginia recognize what’s at stake and believe that their voices matter and that we use our votes to express our voices.”
Polls will open at 6 a.m. next Tuesday, Nov. 4, with voters being able to cast ballots until 7 p.m.
Joining the gubernatorial race on the ballot are elections for lieutenant governor, attorney general and all 100 seats in the House of Delegates.
