President Donald Trump has thrown his weight behind dozens of Republican candidates on the ballot ahead of Tuesday's elections across the country. But he has yet to specifically name one particular candidate in one of the most high-profile races.
On Monday, CBS White House correspondent Kathryn Watson reported that Trump joined a tele-rally for Virginia Republicans, with the Old Dominion State holding elections for statewide offices. Watson tweeted that while the president urged participants to "vote for Republicans up and down the ballot," he "didn't mention gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears by name once." Earle-Sears —who is the first Black female lieutenant governor in Virginia history — is running against Democrat Abigail Spanberger in Tuesday's gubernatorial election.
This comes on the heels of a Politico article from last weekend, in which the outlet reported that while Trump endorsed more than 50 Republican candidates on Sunday, he notably didn't endorse Earle-Sears. He has, however, repeatedly mentioned Spanberger by name in multiple Truth Social posts.
"Why would anyone vote for New Jersey and Virginia Gubernatorial Candidates, Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger, when they want transgender for everybody, men playing in women’s sports, High Crime, and the most expensive Energy prices almost anywhere in the World?" Trump wrote in his signature style of oddly placed capital letters.
Earle-Sears, who is currently trailing Spanberger in the latest polls by double digits, has been criticized for campaigning on cultural issues like limiting transgender rights, while Spanberger has been focusing on economic issues. Trump has only referred to Earle-Sears as "the Republican candidate," and told reporters in October that he hoped the GOP would prevail in Virginia while calling Spanberger a "disaster."
Trump has campaigned more visibly for Republican gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli in New Jersey, mentioning him by name multiple times and participating in multiple tele-rallies with him. Ciattarelli's race against Democrat Mikie Sherrill is considered the closest of the major upcoming elections, though Ciattarelli is behind Sherrill by anywhere from six to eight points in the latest polls.
Tuesday's elections will also crown a new mayor in New York City, where Democrat Zohran Mamdani has a significant lead over both former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (who is running as an independent after losing to Mamdani in the Democratic primary) and Republican Curtis Sliwa. California voters will be voting on Prop 50, which will put new congressional maps in place aimed at giving Democrats an advantage in five Republican-held districts. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has endorsed Prop 50 as a response to Republican gerrymandering efforts in Texas and elsewhere.