Democrat Abigail Spanberger holds a 7-point advantage over Republican Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears in Virginia’s 2025 gubernatorial race, according to a new Roanoke College survey released this week. The poll is one of the first since both candidates secured their parties’ nominations and shows Spanberger leading 48% to 41% among likely voters, with 11% undecided. The campaign quickly became overshadowed by a controversy at an Arlington County School Board meeting where Earle-Sears spoke against district policies allowing transgender students to use facilities matching their gender identity. During a protest outside the meeting, an elderly progressive activist displayed a placard that read, “Hey Winsome, if trans can’t share your bathroom, then Blacks can’t share my water fountain,” invoking segregation-era imagery. Republican lawmakers and party committees accused Spanberger of staying silent and released ads linking her to the protester, while Earle-Sears called the message “insane” and pledged to “bring this insanity to an end.” Spanberger’s campaign issued a written statement condemning the sign as racist, and the Democratic nominee for attorney general joined the rebuke. The progressive group We of Action Virginia, affiliated with Indivisible, also released a brief denunciation but did not claim responsibility for the protester. The incident highlights how cultural flashpoints continue to shape a race already tight in the polls.