The candidates hoping to become Virginia’s next governor are set to meet for a high stakes debate tonight.
Democrat Abigail Spanberger and Republican Winsome Earle-Sears will meet at Norfolk State University Thursday night. The debate comes at a time when Republicans are calling on the Democratic candidate for attorney general to resign over controversial text messages and comments.
J. Miles Coleman at the University of Virginia Center for Politics says Spanberger needs to face the scandal head on.
"Not call on him to step aside because it's very late in the process right now, but to kind of reflect and she's obviously condemned what's he's put out there," Coleman says. "So, how she handles Jones is going to be one of the big questions of the debate. I would fully expect she would go on offense at least a little bit – basically trying to tie Winsome Earle-Sears to the Republicans in D.C. and Trump."
Karen Hult at Virginia Tech says Earle-Sears has been lagging in the polls and in money, so she really needs to make an impression at the debate.
"There is a sense that she is not appearing in public as frequently. There is a sense as well that she is not appearing with the other candidates on the Republican ticket as often as she might be," Hult says. "She has her own intraparty difficulties in terms of the lieutenant governor candidate and to a somewhat lesser extent, Attorney General Miyares."
Next week, voters will see another televised debate, this one between candidates for attorney general – Democrat Jay Jones and Republican Jason Miyares.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
