Winsome Earle-Sears is fighting for every last vote in the Virginia governor's race.
She can't catch a break while her Democrat opponent skates by.
And Winsome Earle-Sears' campaign bus bursts into flames days before election.
Just five days before Election Day, Republican gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears faced an unexpected crisis when her campaign bus caught fire Thursday afternoon while traveling to an event in Greene County, Virginia.
The incident occurred around 12:30 p.m. on Route 33, also known as Spotswood Trail, as the bus was heading to a campaign stop.¹
The Lieutenant Governor's campaign quickly confirmed everyone's safety but offered few other details about what caused the fire.
Only the bus driver was aboard during the blaze
The bus driver was the sole person aboard when flames erupted, and thank God he made it out safely.²
First responders rushed to the scene to battle the flames that engulfed portions of the vehicle.
One firefighter got hurt fighting the fire but received treatment on scene and went home the same day.³
"While en-route to an event, our campaign bus caught fire," Earle-Sears confirmed on X. "Everyone is safe. Thank you to the first responders who got to the scene quickly — we are so grateful for you."⁴
Photos circulating on social media showed dramatic images of flames consuming the back of the bus, which was emblazoned with Earle-Sears' campaign imagery.
The fire appeared severe enough to destroy significant portions of the vehicle.
Earle-Sears was traveling around Virginia on her "Commonsense Not Nonsense" bus tour Thursday, with stops scheduled for Fredericksburg and Harrisonburg.⁵
The fire forced the campaign to adjust its schedule on one of the final days before voters head to the polls.
https://twitter.com/gunrightsdustin/status/1983952198703665590
Spanberger’s shocking response
Democrat Abigail Spanberger, Earle-Sears' opponent in the hotly contested gubernatorial race, responded to the incident with an uncharacteristic show of concern.
"I'm relieved to hear Winsome Earle-Sears and her team are safe after her campaign bus caught on fire this afternoon," Spanberger posted on Facebook. "I'm grateful to our first responders for their quick action — and I'm thinking of the Lt. Governor and her team after this scary incident."⁶
The timing of the bus fire couldn't be worse for Earle-Sears, who has been working to close the polling gap with Spanberger in the final stretch.
Recent surveys show Spanberger leading by margins ranging from 7 to 10 points, though some polls have shown the race tightening.
A Suffolk University poll released last week showed Spanberger ahead 52% to 43% among likely voters.⁷
But Trafalgar Group found the race much closer, with Spanberger at 47.7% and Earle-Sears at 45.1% — within the margin of error.⁸
The race has been complicated by a scandal involving Democrat attorney general candidate Jay Jones, whose violent text messages from 2022 surfaced earlier this month.
Spanberger refuses to cut ties with violent candidate
Jones sent texts in August 2022 describing a scenario where then-House Speaker Todd Gilbert "gets two bullets to the head," followed by wishing that Gilbert's children would "die in their mother's arms."⁹
The revelation sent shockwaves through Virginia politics and gave Republicans a powerful closing argument about Democrat extremism.
Earle-Sears has aggressively pressed Spanberger about the scandal during debates, repeatedly calling on the Democrat to urge Jones to drop out of the race.
"Jay Jones advocated the murder of a man, a former speaker, as well as his children," Earle-Sears said during one debate. "What if he said it about your three children? I'm asking my opponent to please ask Jay Jones to get out of the race."¹⁰
Spanberger has refused to withdraw her endorsement of Jones despite the violent fantasies he expressed about killing a Republican lawmaker and his family.
When pressed about whether she still endorsed Jones, Spanberger dodged the question and said it was "up to every voter to make their own individual decision."¹¹
The contrast couldn't be clearer — Earle-Sears faces equipment failures and logistical nightmares while maintaining her message of common-sense conservatism.
Meanwhile, Spanberger won't even distance herself from a candidate who literally fantasized about murdering Republicans and their children.
Virginia voters will decide Tuesday whether they want a leader who stands on principle like Earle-Sears, or one like Spanberger who enables violent rhetoric from her running mate while lecturing others about civility.
¹ Staff, "Virginia gubernatorial candidate Winsome Earle-Sears' campaign bus catches fire; no injuries reported," WTVR, October 30, 2025.
² Staff, "Earle-Sears' campaign bus catches fire on way to event," 13newsnow.com, October 30, 2025.
³ Ibid.
⁴ Staff, "Earle-Sears campaign bus catches on fire," WWBT, October 30, 2025.
⁵ Staff, "Winsome Earle-Sears' Virginia campaign bus catches fire," Washington Times, October 30, 2025.
⁶ Staff, "Virginia gubernatorial candidate Winsome Earle-Sears' campaign bus catches fire; no injuries reported," WTVR, October 30, 2025.
⁷ Staff, "Spanberger leads Earle-Sears 52%-43% in new Virginia governor poll," Fox News, October 23, 2025.
⁸ Staff, "Poll: Earle-Sears, Spanberger in Dead Heat in Virginia Governor's Race," Breitbart, October 13, 2025.
⁹ Markus Schmidt, "'Beyond disqualifying': Jay Jones controversy jolts Virginia's pivotal 2025 elections," Virginia Mercury, October 5, 2025.
¹⁰ Markus Schmidt, "Jones text scandal reshapes Virginia's attorney general race — and tests Spanberger's ticket," Virginia Mercury, October 15, 2025.
¹¹ Staff, "Poll: Earle-Sears, Spanberger in Dead Heat in Virginia Governor's Race," Breitbart, October 13, 2025.
