Virginia Republican who could become state's first woman governor shrugs off identity questions

Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears says she is not focusing connected the imaginable historical accidental of becoming her state’s archetypal pistillate politician and is alternatively concentrating connected her policies and message.  

"People are looking, I think, past the information of my tegument color, adjacent my gender. It means that they privation to perceive a message," Earle-Sears told CNN successful an nonfiction published Tuesday. 

"So, I’m not truly focused connected the historical aspect," the presumptive Republican nominee added. "It’s wonderful. It’s good. But what are your policies? How volition your policies assistance my family?"

TRUMP NOT ON BALLOT BUT PRESIDENT INFLUENCES TUESDAY'S HIGH-STAKES PRIMARY

Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears says she is not focusing connected the imaginable historical anticipation of becoming her state’s archetypal pistillate politician and is alternatively concentrating connected however her policies acceptable her apart.   (REUTERS/ Elizabeth Frantz)

Earle-Sears, who is moving unopposed successful the GOP superior for governor to win term-limited Gov. Glenn Youngkin, said successful a May 28 X post that she stands retired from different candidates due to the fact that she is not a "typical" politician. 

Her Democratic opponent, erstwhile Rep. Abigail Spanberger, is besides moving unopposed successful her primary, meaning Virginia volition elect a pistillate politician this fall, nary substance what. 

Spanberger has said that she is excited astir the imaginable of becoming Virginia’s archetypal pistillate governor, telling CNN successful the aforesaid portion that, "What I perceive from voters is we would beryllium truthful excited to person you beryllium our archetypal pistillate governor." However, the nonfiction noted she's not playing up her sex connected the run trail.

"Certainly, erstwhile I’m retired campaigning and spending clip crossed Virginia, I cognize it is connected the caput of immoderate Virginians," but she said if she did win, "My absorption is going to beryllium connected delivering connected the promises and enactment that I acceptable retired to bash erstwhile I began my campaign." 

FORMER CONGRESSWOMAN TURNED VA GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE ABIGAIL SPANBERGER ACCUSED OF ETHICS VIOLATION

Former U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger volition beryllium Virginia's Democratic nominee for politician successful 2025. (Getty)

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE

Kelly Dittmar, manager of probe for the Center for American Women successful Politics astatine Rutgers University, told CNN that she thinks sex is not the lone origin astatine play for voters erstwhile they take a candidate. 

"The women themselves are precise improbable to usage their sex solely arsenic they’re making past arsenic portion of their run strategy, due to the fact that it’s not thing we’ve seen determination voters successful important ways erstwhile it comes to who they’re going to ballot for oregon adjacent elector turnout," said Dittmar.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP   

History suggests Spanberger is the favourite successful the authorities that's gone blue successful caller statesmanlike elections, though Earle-Sears' allies accidental not to number her retired and constituent retired Youngkin was an underdog successful 2021. 

In 11 of the past 12 Virginia gubernatorial elections, the victor has been successful the other enactment of the erstwhile year's statesmanlike predetermination winner. In 2021, Youngkin won successful an upset implicit Democrat Terry McAuliffe aft Joe Biden was elected president successful 2020. In 2017, Democrat Ralph Northam was elected a twelvemonth aft Donald Trump archetypal won the White House.