Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears signed Virginia’s in-progress reproductive rights constitutional amendment but expressed personal opposition in a handwritten note, citing moral reasons and opposition to protection for the child. As president of the Senate, she is required to sign bills, though her signature includes objections. This marks the second time she has written objections on bills, with the first being a note against a bill protecting marriage rights for same-sex and interracial couples. Earle-Sears has long been vocal in opposition to abortion, labeling it “genocide” during her 2021 campaign, and her stance remains a key issue in her gubernatorial race against Abigail Spanberger.
Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears signed Virginia’s in-progress reproductive rights constitutional amendment, but noted her personal objection to it in a handwritten note on the bill.
As president of the Senate, she is legally required to sign bills that the legislature passes but she doesn’t have to add any comment to her signatures. Documents obtained by The Mercury show her explanation for why she is against Virginia’s effort to protect reproductive rights like abortion, in vitro fertilization and contraception access in Virginia’s Constitution.
“I am morally opposed to this bill; no protection for the child,” she wrote above her signature.
It is the second known message Earle-Sears has penned on a bill she signed but disagreed with — the first being her note of objection scrawled on a bill last year that would prohibit officials from denying marriage licenses to same-sex or interracial couples, as The Virginia Scope first reported. It is also one of the clearest signals Earle-Sears has sent concerning her views on abortion and reproductive health care since beginning her campaign for governor.
A Sears campaign representative the Mercury reached Thursday afternoon said Earle-Sears had no comment on the matter.
While Earle-Sears’ appearance as a keynote speaker at the Virginia March For Life has already solidified her stance in opposition to proposals that would protect abortion access in Virginia, she’s yet to speak in depth about where she may hold nuanced views on reproductive matters.
Abortion access is one of the most politically divisive issues in the state, as Democrats work to shore up protections while Republicans largely support anti-abortion measures, with some GOP members of the legislature having carried life-at-conception bills. In the 2023 elections, many Republicans supported a proposal backed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin to ban most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, with exceptions for rape, incest or life-threatening situations for the parent. It lacked fetal anomaly exceptions — several of which aren’t diagnosed until at or after 15 weeks.
Early in her 2021 campaign for liuetenant governor, Earle-Sears had called abortion “genocide” and objected to the procedure in all instances, except for ones that could save the life of the pregnant person. Just over a month before the 2021 elections, she’d scrubbed anti-abortion messaging from her campaign website where she’d vowed to “do everything in my power” to stop abortions in Virginia.
Because Earle-Sears’ 2021 campaign occurred before federal abortion protections were overturned, stating an opinion against abortion was more a signal to like-minded voters than a legislative promise to eradicate it. Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned federal protections in 2022, the matter has become more salient in campaigns. Some states have fortified protections while others have enacted bans or restrictions. Virginia is currently the least-restrictive state in the south.
As Virginia’s constitutional amendment has already passed the legislature once, it must do so again next year before appearing on ballots statewide for voters to finally approve or reject. That progress, however, hinges on Democrats retaining their majority in the House of Delegates this year, because the amendment has only advanced on partisan lines.
Governors don’t formally advance or block constitutional amendments, but should Virginia’s fail to advance, the next governor will be able to sign potential attempts to restrict or ban abortions within state code.
With Earle-Sears gubernatorial opponent Abigail Spanberger in support of reproductive healthcare access — to include abortions, contraception and fertility treatments — their divergences on the issue may be a deciding factor for some voters later this year.
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Virginia Mercury is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Virginia Mercury maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Samantha Willis for questions: info@virginiamercury.com.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Center-Right
The content presents Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears’ opposition to reproductive rights legislation, highlighting her moral objections and ties to anti-abortion activism. It discusses the politically divisive nature of abortion rights in Virginia, noting the Republican support for restrictions versus Democratic efforts to protect access. While it reports on Earle-Sears’ views and actions factually, the focus on her opposition to abortion and the framing within a contentious political landscape positions the content with a center-right bias, reflecting conservative perspectives on reproductive issues without overt editorializing.
www.youtube.com – 12 On Your Side – 2025-05-08 05:55:11
SUMMARY: Thursday (May 8) will be partly sunny and warm with a high of 83°F. Rain chances today are low at about 10%, mostly dry with a possible sprinkle or shower. Overnight, Richmond and areas north might experience some showers and thunder. Friday will be cooler with a high of 70°F, mostly cloudy, and rain with thunder likely from midday into the afternoon, bringing up to half an inch in some areas. Evening activities should dry out by 6 PM. The weekend looks dry and pleasant with mid-70s temperatures. Next week, rain chances return Tuesday and Wednesday with about an inch or two expected across the region.
www.thecentersquare.com – By Shirleen Guerra | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-05-07 13:31:00
(The Center Square) – Tariffs aren’t usually the kind of thing that makes Virginia business owners nervous, but more than half of Northern Virginia executives say trade policy is creeping into their worry list.
AQ2 2025 surveyof nearly 300 Northern Virginia executives found that 53% expect tariffs to hurt business growth in the next six months, more than those concerned about taxes or regulation.
It puts trade policy in the same stress category as inflation and federal job cuts, which also ranked on the list.
That concern isn’t coming out of nowhere as Virginia exported more than$21.8 billion in goods last year,according to figures from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
Nearly 90% of those exports came from small and mid-sized businesses, which often don’t have much cushion when costs spike or foreign buyers pull back.
Unlike states that mostly ship raw materials or heavy goods, Virginia leans heavily on service exports such as tech, consulting and logistics. Those exports aren’t small potatoes, and in 2022, those services supported more than222,000 jobs and pumped $2.2 billion into commonwealth and local tax coffers.
Survey responses suggest the impact isn’t just theoretical, as some Virginia businesses say they already feel it. Roughly 40% of executives said that the current U.S. trade policy is already causing their companies to decline, while another 36% expect trouble.
So far, tariffs haven’t played a major role in Virginia’s governor’s race. Meanwhile, Republican nominee Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears hasn’t released a formal position on trade policy or tariffs. However, in a leaked March recording, she expressed support for the president’s trade approach, calling tariffs good and to our benefit.
Democratic governor candidate Abigail Spanberger has sharply criticized Trump-era tariffs, calling them a“tax on Virginians”that will hit families, farmers and small businesses hardest.
Dominion Energy is also watching tariffs closely.
In a May 1earnings call,executives estimated the company could face up to $500 million in cumulative tariff-related costs if the current policy holds through 2026.
During the call, the leading provider disclosed they had already absorbed $4 million in tariff costs during the first quarter of 2025 and expects that number to jump to $130 million by the end of June.
If nothing changes, executives say tariffs could tack on half a billion dollars to the cost of building Virginia’s offshore wind project.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Centrist
The article primarily reports on the concerns of Northern Virginia business executives regarding tariffs and their potential economic impact without advocating for a particular ideological stance. It presents information from both Republican and Democratic perspectives, including statements from candidates and factual data about trade and tariffs. The tone and language remain neutral, focusing on the economic implications rather than promoting a specific political agenda. This balanced reporting aligns with neutral, factual journalism rather than exhibiting a discernible political bias.
What started as a call for financial transparency has exploded into bitter infighting within the Republican Party of Virginia Beach, pitting local GOP chair Laura Hughes and her conservative grassroots allies against the leadership of the 2nd Congressional District GOP Committee — and, by extension, the party’s entrenched establishment wing.
With accusations of stonewalling, sabotage, and political retribution flying, the dispute has deepened long-standing tensions and raised concerns about how party unity will hold heading into key statewide elections in November.
The conflict will come to a head this Wednesday, when members of the 2nd District GOP committee will hold a closed executive session in Chesapeake to vote on whether to remove Hughes from her post — a move her allies say is an anti-democratic power grab by establishment figures.
Hughes, an attorney and former Virginia Beach school board member, was elected local GOP chair in March 2024 at a packed mass meeting of about 1,100 Republicans. Her victory by 95 votes surprised many — including longtime power players — and marked a shift toward grassroots-driven leadership. But with that shift came deepening fractures.
“When I took office, I thought the hardest part would be rallying people and getting them excited to grow the party,” Hughes told The Mercury in an interview Monday. “I didn’t realize the biggest fight would come from inside.”
Virginia Beach GOP Chair Laura Hughes with Gov. Glenn Youngkin. (Courtesy Republican Party of Virginia Beach)
One of her first priorities was to push for a formal audit of the local committee’s finances, which she quickly learned had not been conducted since 2014 — despite the party’s bylaws requiring annual reviews.
“When I couldn’t get access to basic financial documents, I decided to ask for an audit,” she said. “It seemed irresponsible not to.”
That decision, Hughes said, opened a hornet’s nest.
The committee’s former treasurer, she alleged, refused to provide documents or grant her access to records. Eventually, the state party stepped in to perform what was termed a “financial review” — though not a formal audit — and Hughes said that when the report was finished, she was only allowed to view it after signing a non-disclosure agreement.
“I think the whole body of the party should be allowed to have it,” Hughes said. “There were a lot of procedural issues that have been going on for years and years and years.”
In a detailed Facebook post last week, Hughes accused prior local leadership and 2nd District Chair Dennis Free of blocking accountability efforts at every turn. She wrote that after engaging the state party, the audit was “taken out of our committee’s hands and handed to people at the state level,” ultimately becoming “just a report, not an audit.”
Free did not respond to phone calls and text messages seeking comment.
A push for transparency
Hughes told members she was required to sign a nondisclosure agreement just to see the report and described the process as an alarming lack of transparency.
“The members should be able to see the report and have their questions answered,” she wrote, warning that instead of letting the report speak for itself, Free had called for her removal “without a single vote from the members who built this committee back from dysfunction.”
Karen Heesch-Gilman, who took over as the local committee’s treasurer under Hughes, reinforced those concerns in an email obtained by The Mercury, describing how Hughes had struggled to access basic materials such as old bank statements, QuickBooks records, or deposit slips.
“Laura had no choice but to purchase bank statements at a cost of $150,” Heesch-Gilman wrote.
Even after the state party review, Hughes said, the missing records were only handed over — sealed in a box — shortly before Free announced the meeting to decide her fate.
Heesch-Gilman underscored that many of the financial problems dated back years and were not the fault of the current leadership.
“Most of the audit report details issues inherited and are correctable,” she wrote. “Nothing places blame or indicates incompetency of the current executive board.”
Free, the chair of the 2nd District GOP committee, defended the upcoming vote at a Republican breakfast event last Saturday, telling the crowd that the meeting’s sole purpose was to determine whether Hughes had “failed to function” in her role.
“I heard a lot about Chairwoman Hughes and that she had to sign an NDA, a non-disclosure agreement, to see the audit. That’s not correct,” Free said in a video of the event obtained by The Mercury.
“The information is confidential because it can only be shared among party members. It is wrong and unethical for a party member to take confidential information and share it with a non-party member.” He warned that mishandling confidential materials would amount to “an ethical kind of violence,” punishable by censure or removal.
But Hughes’ backers argue that the move is a blatant overreach.
“It should be with us, not in the 2nd District committee,” Virginia Beach GOP Vice Chair Paula Chang said to applause at the breakfast. Chang said Free had bypassed the local committee that initiated the financial review in the first place.
Virginia Beach Republicans fight back
Jim Cohen, a longtime Virginia Beach Republican, pointed to Bruce Meyer — vice chair of the 2nd District GOP committee and a key player in the push against Hughes — as a driving force behind the turmoil.
Cohen said Meyer has long operated behind the scenes, shaping party outcomes and influencing Free.
“It’s been happening for years and years,” Cohen said. “You’ve got factional fighting, you’ve got various groups with various interests. You’ve got people who, in politics, they want sex, money, or power, and in this case, it’s all about power. It’s all about who has their hands on the wheel and who they don’t want to have hands on the wheel.”
Meyer said in a text message that he is “very aware of the many issues concerning Laura Hughes,” but added he would hold off on further comment until he has reviewed the RPV’s audit report on Wednesday.
“For the record, I have always recognized Laura as the chair of the RPVB and still do,” Meyer noted. “In fact, I introduce her every Saturday, at our weekly breakfast, so she can give her report about the Republican Party of Virginia Beach.”
Cohen said the dynamic is nothing new, describing “years and years of pattern” where Meyer has attacked anyone who didn’t give him power or whom he hadn’t backed in a prior election.
“Every meeting we have, Bruce Meyer will stand up and try to come up with anything he can to call, to try to get the room to turn against her,” Cohen said, speaking about Hughes. While he acknowledged that infighting happens in both Democratic and Republican parties, Cohen emphasized that the real issue arises “when you weaponize rules that we all agree to play by in order to take action against an individual.”
Adding to the chorus of criticism is Jimmy Frost, a Virginia Beach Republican for 16 years who ran unsuccessfully for local chair in 2020 and has long positioned himself as part of the party’s conservative, anti-establishment wing. Frost called the effort against Hughes “basically a political hit job.”
“From the moment Laura was elected, these folks in, I guess you can call it the establishment wing of the party as represented by Dennis Free, just cannot conceive of the reality where they’re not in charge,” Frost said.
“And they have been attempting to undermine Laura at every turn, even from the first meeting when they tried to put forth an alternate board of directors that included many of the same people who were running the party under (former local chair) Bill Curtis.”
Frost said the pattern is familiar. When he ran for local party chairman five years ago, he faced multiple attempts by insiders to force him out. “I had no less than five different attempts made to either convince me, intimidate me, or basically try to buy me out of running,” he said.
Reflecting on the stakes of the latest intra-party showdown, Frost said the problem runs deeper than one leadership dispute.
“If you take a position that is anywhere opposed to or different from what the establishment of the party thinks is the way to go, these people will try to destroy you personally, publicly, professionally, and permanently,” he warned.
And looking ahead to Wednesday’s high-stakes meeting, Frost said bluntly: “I think Dennis is going to railroad Laura. But we are going to be there for her.”
Mark Peake, the chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia, said he doesn’t know Hughes well and has only had limited interaction with her, noting, “I think I’ve spoken to her twice.”
Still, in a phone interview Tuesday Peake made clear he is not enthusiastic about the escalating battle inside the 2nd District.
“In my tenure as RPV chairman, the last thing I want to have happen are intra-party fights,” he said. “I don’t think it is good for the party to try and remove people that have been elected unless there’s a crime, or unless there’s something that would be very offensive and detrimental to Republicans.”
While Peake acknowledged that the district committee does have the authority to remove a local chair, he voiced concern about the potential fallout. “They can do that, or otherwise they wouldn’t be having that meeting,” he said, adding that he was not fully informed on the specific issues driving the conflict.
What worries Peake more, he said, is the larger picture.
“We’ve got statewide elections in November. Democrats already got the Senate, they’ve got the House. If they win the governorship, the 200 bills that Governor (Glenn) Youngkin vetoed this year are going to get signed,” Peake warned.
“We can’t risk that happening. So I want all Republicans’ attention to be focused on beating the Democrats in November, and that’s always what we should be focused on, unless something like I previously discussed has happened, and that has not happened in Virginia Beach.”
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Virginia Mercury is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Virginia Mercury maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Samantha Willis for questions: info@virginiamercury.com.
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Center-Right
This content presents a detailed account of internal conflicts within a local Republican Party faction in Virginia Beach, showing a focus on accountability, transparency, and grassroots versus establishment tensions. It highlights conservative grassroots perspectives without overt criticism or endorsement of liberal viewpoints. The tone and framing suggest a Center-Right bias by centering on Republican intra-party dynamics, emphasizing conservative values such as fiscal responsibility and party unity, while avoiding polarizing partisan rhetoric or attacks on political opponents.
