Black Democratic leaders respond to Earle-Sears ads
They accuse Earle-Sears of insulting the intelligence of Black voters and rewriting their story with a caricature.
This is the Virginia Scope daily newsletter covering Virginia politics from top to bottom. Please consider becoming the ultimate political insider by supporting non-partisan, independent news and becoming a paid subscriber to this newsletter today.
Have a tip? You can reply to this email or reach out to me directly at Brandon@virginiascope.com.
Scott, Lucas, Torian and Bagby respond to Earle-Sears ads
Black leaders in the General Assembly are pushing back against the ads released on Tuesday by Republican gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears. They accuse Earle-Sears of insulting the intelligence of Black voters and rewriting their story with a caricature.
Speaker of the House Don Scott, D-Portsmouth, Senate Pro Tempore Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, DPVA Chair Lamont Bagby, and Virginia Legislative Black Caucus Chair Luke Torian released statements Wednesday.
Louise Lucas:
“As the longest-serving Black woman in the Senate and President Pro Tempore, I’ve spent decades fighting to expand opportunity, protect our schools, and give working families a fair shot. These advertisements try to turn that legacy into a punchline. Those commercials insult the intelligence of voters, especially Black voters. I gasp while listening to them. They use tired stereotypes and cartoonish voices to speak at Black Virginians instead of with us. We’ve come too far to let Winsome Sears drag us backward with a mocking radio ad that disrespects everything we’ve built.”
Speaker Don Scott:
“As the first Black Speaker in the history of the Virginia House of Delegates, I know the work it has taken to get our communities a seat at the table. These advertisements are not just offensive. They are a blatant attempt to erase the real progress we’ve made. They reduce our voices to barbershop chatter and caricatures, as if Black voters can be swayed with mockery instead of substance. Winsome Sears will not undo the gains we’ve fought for with a radio ad that insults our intelligence.”
DPVA Chair Lamont Bagby:
“As Chair of the Democratic Party of Virginia and a former Chair of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, I have seen firsthand the victories we’ve won for Black Virginians, from raising teacher pay to expanding healthcare and investing in our neighborhoods. These advertisements try to ignore that record and replace it with ridicule. The moment I heard the sound of barber clippers, I thought this couldn’t be real. It is offensive, it is shallow, and it has no place in serious political discourse. Winsome Sears will not rewrite our story with a caricature of our community wrapped in a radio ad.”
VLBC Chair Luke Torian:
“As Chairman of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, a member of the clergy, and Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, I have worked to direct real resources into Black communities — to fund our schools, support our families, and expand opportunity. These advertisements do the opposite. They take sacred spaces like the Black church and community hubs like the barbershop and turn them into punchlines. The exaggerated voices and mock portrayals are not just disrespectful, they are destructive. Black Virginians deserve to be treated with dignity, not reduced to stereotypes in political campaigns.”
Del. A.C. Cordoza, R-Hampton, provided a response to Virginia Scope on behalf of the Earle-Sears campaign.
"The Far-Left Democrat Establishment hates that Black Virginians like myself and Winsome who are calling out these disastrous California-like policies,” Cordoza said. “We are going to neighborhoods and churches in the inner city, places Democrats thought were on ‘lockdown’ for voting Blue….Well guess what: people are voting on the issues that matter regardless of race.”
Cordoza accused Democrats of pandering to Black communities.
“These predictable attacks are coming from the same Democrats who have spent years pandering to our communities without delivering real, positive change,” Cordoza continued. “Last year, they had ‘Uncle Joe’ Biden buying fried Chicken for Black people and having girls twerk on stage to try and get votes, we are not falling for it.”
Watch all of the ads below:
Danville council member Vogler attacked, set on fire; suspect in custody - Cardinal News
by Elizabeth Beyer and Grace Mamon
Lee Vogler, a Danville city councilman, was attacked and set on fire at his workplace on Wednesday, police said.
Witnesses told police that a man entered the offices of Showcase Magazine, confronted Vogler and doused him with a flammable liquid. Vogler and the man left the building together; once they were outside, the suspect set Vogler on fire, according to police.
in the original English language ad, Earle-Sears calls herself a "First Generation American." This is untrue because she was born in Kingston, Jamaica on March 11, 1964. she emigrated to the US (Bronx, NYC) in 1970 at age six. A First Generation American is born here. She is not a first generation American, but her children who were born here are.
In this Spanish language ad for Sears, the narrator also refers to her as a "First generation American." Interestingly enough, she has told people at her events, "When I joined the Marine Corps (1983), I was still a Jamaican."