(The Center Square) – Virginia’s 2025 statewide races are intensifying with new political ads and social media posts focusing on the economy, crime and health care.
The Democratic Party of Virginia released a new ad Thursday targeting Republican gubernatorial nominee Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears for downplaying the impact of federal job cuts. The ad includes a clip of Earle-Sears saying, “How many here has ever lost a job? Oh, you mean it’s not unusual? The media is making it out to be this huge, huge thing. And I don’t understand why.”
The ad ties her remarks to Virginia’s drop from first to fourth in CNBC’s Top States for Business rankings, which added a new metric on federal workforce size. It also cites a University of Virginia forecast projecting that the commonwealth will lose 32,000 jobs in 2025.
“Virginia’s hurting. And Winsome Earle-Sears just isn’t listening,” according to the ad.
On the Republican side, Attorney General Jason Miyares released a video ad going after Democratic challenger Jay Jones. The ad criticizes Jones for supporting efforts to eliminate cash bail and expand early release for certain offenders during his time in the General Assembly.
“Soft Jay Jones will not keep us safe,” Miyares says in the video. The Virginia GOP shared a similar message on social media, accusing Jones of wanting to make early release policies worse.
Jones has defended his platform as focused on fairness and public safety. He posted Thursday, and shifted his focus to health care. Jones said Medicaid cuts tied to federal policies under President Donald Trump threaten rural hospitals in Virginia.
“Trump’s Medicaid cuts pose a significant threat to rural hospitals in VA, and Jason Miyares has rolled over and let it happen,” Jones wrote. “Virginians deserve an AG who will fight for accessible, affordable healthcare.”
With less than four months until Election Day, the ads signal that jobs, crime and health care are shaping up to be key issues for voters.
