Winsome Earle-Sears’ new campaign ad stresses the American Dream

Republican Virginia gubernatorial candidate Winsome Earle-Sears debuted a new campaign ad on Wednesday. The ad stressed her family’s humble origins and her successful pursuit of the American Dream.

Titled “Seven Quarters,” the ad begins by mentioning how much money ($1.75, or the equivalent of seven quarters in coins) her father had when he came to the U.S. from Jamaica to build a better life for himself and his family. 

“A buck 75. When dad came to America, that’s all he had,” Earle-Sears says in narration at the beginning of her ad. “But, for a little girl in Jamaica, that little bit of change changed everything.”

“Dad drove taxis, saved every dime he could, and six years later, legally brought us to America – saved me,” Earle-Sears over a montage of pictures in the ad. 

Her emphasis on being a legal immigrant to the U.S. was particularly noteworthy.

She then highlights an impressive background, which includes serving in the U.S. Marines, building a business, running a homeless shelter, and leading a men’s prison ministry. 

“I’m Winsome Earl Sears,” Virginia’s Lieutenant Governor says in the last moments of her ad. “I’m not a typical politician, and I never will be. I’m a grandma, first-generation American, and proud Marine. I’m running for governor to keep Virginia the greatest place in the world to call home.”

The campaign ad is the first part of a significant advertising push for Earle-Sears as the campaign for Virginia’s governor’s race heats up. A press release promoting the ad highlighted that “Seven Quarters” was the beginning of a “major, seven-figure television advertising investment in key markets, including Richmond and Norfolk, as well as on digital platforms statewide.”

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“Earle-Sears is living proof that the American Dream is alive, and it is her mission to keep it that way for all Virginians,” notes the release.

Earle-Sears is running against Democrat Abigail Spanberger in the Virginia governor’s race. The election is on November 4, 2025. Similar to Virginia’s 2021 gubernatorial election in which Republican Glenn Youngkin defeated Democrat Terry McAuliffe by less than 2% of the vote, this year’s race is also expected to be close.