Next week’s elections in Virginia and New Jersey offer voters a great opportunity to send a message that the era of weak leadership, radical leftist ideology, and moral confusion characterized by the Joe Biden-led Democrats is over. In both states, there are strong, principled conservatives running for governor who embody courage, common sense, and integrity. Winsome Earle-Sears in Virginia and Jack Ciattarelli in New Jersey represent the kind of leaders America needs right now – conservatives who love their country and their states, respect their people, and understand that government is meant to be limited and to work for the people, not the other way around.
While both have strong support from the grassroots conservatives in their states, there is a key difference in the two contests: in Virginia, Earle-Sears is trying to win a race to maintain GOP control over the governor’s mansion and keep moving forward, while in New Jersey, Ciattarelli is trying to win a race to overturn Democrat control over the governor’s mansion and reverse the Garden State’s course of the last eight years.
In Virginia, Earle-Sears has already made history. As the Commonwealth’s first black female lieutenant governor, she has shown what true leadership looks like – she has been humble, disciplined, and fearless in supporting the agenda of popular Governor Glenn Youngkin. A Marine veteran, small business owner, and immigrant who worked her way up from nothing, Earle-Sears is a testament to the American Dream. She doesn’t divide people by race or class. She unites them around the values that make America exceptional: faith, family, freedom, and hard work.
And she has never been afraid to speak the truth, even when the media tried to caricature her as “too conservative” for modern Virginia. She stood up for parents' rights when the political establishment mocked parents for daring to speak at school board meetings. She supported enforcing the law even as her opponent voted against the Laken Riley Act. And she defended peace officers while Democrats were busy kneeling to the “defund the police” mob.
Her opponent, Democrat Abigail Spanberger, represents everything that’s gone wrong with the Democrat Party. Spanberger wants voters to see her as a moderate, but her record tells a different story – one of loyalty to the radical left and moral cowardice when leadership was required most. Her performance in the campaign's only debate, when she froze and refused to answer Earle-Sears’ challenge, revealed a candidate not ready for prime time.
When violent text messages from Democrat attorney general nominee Jay Jones came to light – texts so vile and threatening they shocked even seasoned political observers – Spanberger had a clear choice: to show integrity by calling for Jones to withdraw from the race, or to stay silent and protect her party. She chose silence. Her refusal to demand that Jones withdraw revealed exactly who she is: a politician who values partisan power over moral principle.
That failure of courage disqualifies Spanberger from leadership in a state moving forward in the right direction. Virginians deserve better. They deserve Winsome Earle-Sears – a governor who will put people above party, stand up for law and order, protect the unborn, defend free speech, and maintain dignity in public office. She will keep Virginia moving in the positive direction the state has been moving in under the leadership of Governor Youngkin and will move Virginia forward with strength and integrity.
A few hours’ drive up I-95, New Jersey voters face a similar choice between principle and political decay. Republican Jack Ciattarelli has built his career on honesty, fiscal discipline, and a deep respect for the taxpayers of New Jersey. He knows that hardworking families are being crushed by high taxes, spiraling energy prices, and the arrogance of entrenched bureaucrats. His plan is simple but powerful: restore fiscal sanity, stop the overreach of government, and put power back where it belongs – with the people.
Ciattarelli understands that government doesn’t create prosperity – free people do. Under Democrat leadership, New Jersey has become one of the most overtaxed, overregulated states in the country. Energy costs are soaring. Small businesses are fleeing. Families are moving away. Yet Trenton keeps demanding more from those who remain, punishing productivity and success while rewarding dependency and political favoritism. Jack Ciattarelli has the courage to say, “Enough.” His leadership will be rooted in respect for the taxpayer, accountability in government, and a belief that every New Jerseyan deserves the freedom to build a better life without the state standing in his or her way.
In both Virginia and New Jersey, the pattern is the same. Democrats talk about compassion but deliver control. They talk about fairness but practice favoritism. They talk about progress but leave communities more divided, less safe, and less free. Winsome Earle-Sears and Jack Ciattarelli represent the antidote to this poison. They will restore faith in government not by expanding it, but by restraining it.
Winsome Earle-Sears’ story embodies what the American Dream is all about: a life built on effort, not entitlement. Jack Ciattarelli’s plan represents what good government used to mean: discipline, balance, and accountability. Both of them understand that leadership is not about power, it’s about service.
So this November, voters in Virginia and New Jersey can do something powerful. They can send a message that courage, character, and common sense still matter. They can reject the politics of fear and division. And they can choose leaders who will put the people first.
Winsome Earle-Sears and Jack Ciattarelli are ready to lead. Now it’s up to voters to give them the chance.
Jenny Beth Martin is Honorary Chairman of Tea Party Patriots Action.