Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic candidate for governor in Virginia, was once widely expected to secure the state’s highest office with ease. However, a series of controversies and her party’s unclear direction have kept the contest competitive, giving her Republican opponent a fighting chance.

In a move signaling trouble for Spanberger, former President Barack Obama is set to join her on the campaign trail next Saturday. This development comes as polls indicate that the Republican contender, Winsome Earle-Sears, is closing the gap.

Obama’s involvement has sparked criticism, with some labeling it as contradictory. He previously criticized Black men for their lack of support for Kamala Harris during the last general election, which has drawn backlash now that he is campaigning in Virginia.

One local resident expressed their frustration on TikTok, stating, “I saw Obama criticize Black men for not backing Kamala Harris, yet here he is in Virginia campaigning against a genuine Black woman.”

Spanberger’s campaign faced setbacks earlier this month when Jay Jones, the Democratic nominee for attorney general, became embroiled in scandal. Jones had sent text messages wishing harm upon the then-Republican speaker of the Virginia House of Representatives.

Although Spanberger condemned Jones’ remarks, she refrained from urging him to withdraw from the race, which led to significant criticism.

Meanwhile, Earle-Seares is gaining ground by campaigning for women’s safety as the transgender issue has become a lightning rod in the state after a convicted sex offender identifying as a woman exposed himself in a Northern Virginia locker room.

Thus, the race for Virginia governor has tightened in recent weeks, with one survey from the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) showing Spanberger leading Earle-Sears, with 49 percent to Sears’ 42 percent among registered voters, a drop from a nine-point lead in September’s Commonwealth Poll.

Winsome Earle-Sears, Republican gubernatorial candidate for Virginia, during a campaign event at the Vienna Volunteer Fire Department in Vienna, Virginia, US, on Tuesday, July 1, 2025

Former President Barack Obama moderates a conversation with three leaders at the 2024 Democracy Forum at the Marriott Marquis in Chicago on December 5, 2024

Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, speaks during a campaign rally at the Jefferson Theater October 20, 2025 in Charlottesville, Virginia

In a Saturday interview on Newsmax, Sears noted that if ‘Abigail really believed those polls, she wouldn’t be flying in half the Democrat Party to save her.’

‘You can tell more about a campaign from their panic than from any poll,’ Sears added.

Obama is just the latest big-name Democrat drafted in to assist flailing Spanberger after Bill and Hillary Clinton pulled in a record-breaking $2.2 million for her at a McLean, Virginia, fundraiser on October 13.

The event, which was hosted by former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe at his home, drew more than 350 donors and became the ‘largest gubernatorial fundraiser in Virginia history,’ according to Politico.

Obama endorsed Spanberger on October 16 and is planning to campaign with her in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia on November 1.

His attempt to tip the scales sparked controversy online. 

In a video posted on X, user @TheThe1776 called out Obama for chastising ‘Black men for not supporting Kamala Harris’ in 2024, but for coming to the Commonwealth to campaign ‘against a natural born Black woman in Virginia.’

X user EllieKayUSA wrote Friday that if ‘Winsome Sears were a Democrat, she’d be on every magazine cover & mainstream media would be extolling her at every opportunity.’

‘But since Sears has an (R) next to her name, they pretend she doesn’t exist, & if Spanberger loses, it’s due to misogyny,’ she added.

A social media creator The Black MAGA Preacher added in his own X post that ‘the NAACP just endorsed a liberal white woman over the conservative Black woman running for Virginia governor.’

‘The NAACP is a joke — it should be dismantled,’ he concluded.

Sears is running both to make history and to continue Governor Glenn Youngkin’s legacy in the Commonwealth, while Spanberger is attempting to run as a more moderate or mainstream Democrat without alienating the far left of her party.

Statewide elections next week in Virginia, as well as New Jersey, will be closely watched as political observers will hope to draw conclusions about the future of a post-Trump GOP, as well as a Democratic party searching for a new identity.