DGA - Democratic Governors Association

09/05/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 09/05/2024 09:41

DGA Statement on Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears Running for Governor in VirginiaLatest News Year in Review

DGA Statement on Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears Running for Governor in Virginia

Today, Democratic Governors Association Director of External Affairs Ofirah Yheskel released the following statement in response to Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears announcing her run for governor:

"Instead of addressing the issues that Virginians care about most, Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears is only interested in pushing a dangerous agenda that will rip away freedoms and make life worse for working families. She's best known for attacking Virginia's public schools, pushing extreme abortion bans, and opposing LGBTQ+ rights. Sears' entry into the GOP primary will ensure that it becomes a race to the far-right consumed by toxic culture wars and attacks on fundamental freedoms."

Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears' Dangerous Record Includes:

  • Supporting a Dangerous Abortion Ban: Sears supports an extreme abortion ban "similar to the law that took effect in Texas" that bans abortion before most women know they are pregnant, and has even claimed that after conception, "The baby isn't even [the mother's] body, she's got her own body. The blood running through the veins of the baby don't belong to her, it's not her blood." She has also pushed the widely debunked conspiracy theory that abortion providers "sell baby parts."
  • Attacking Public Education: Sears has long supported stripping funding from public schools to funnel into unaccountable private and charter schools, leading the most recent legislative push to do so.
  • Opposing LGBTQ+ Rights: Sears is a longtime opponent of LGBTQ+ rights, previously running on her proud opposition to marriage equality.

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