With less than three months until Virginia elects Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s (R) successor, things are heating up between candidates Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears (R) and former Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D),

President Donald Trump said this week he would endorse Winsome Earle-Sears in the Virginia gubernatorial race, raising questions about his influence in the state. Dr. Stephen Farnsworth, director at the Center for Leadership and Media Studies at the University of Mary Washington,

Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears is the Republican nominee in Virginia’s closely watched governor’s race, but so far has been running without Trump’s blessing.