Abigail Spanberger’s campaign has officially declined to debate Lt. Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, something Spanberger previously said was unfair to voters.

CNN proposed to both campaigns a late September debate live broadcast on the national network. Earle-Sears accepted the invitation but Spanberger declined.

“We have declined an offer to participate in a debate hosted by CNN in order to prioritize Virginia broadcasters and ensure the focus remains squarely on issues impacting Virginia,” said Samson Signori, Spanberger’s campaign manager.

“Abigail Spanberger turning down a CNN debate is beyond absurd. It’s proof she’s terrified of facing voters in an unscripted setting,” said Peyton Vogel, Earle-Sears’ Press Secretary. “In 2022, she infamously pulled out at the last minute. Now she’s running from CNN, one of the friendliest stages she could ask for.”

Debates have been particularly impactful in recent elections. In Virginia, Democrat Terry McAuliffe’s public rebuke of parents is credited with helping hand the Virginia Governor’s mansion to Glenn Youngkin. (RELATED: Spanberger Pockets $50K From Chinese Communist Party Member)

“I’m not going to allow parents to come into schools and actually take books out, make their own decision,” McAuliffe said defending his veto of parent’s rights legislation. “Yeah, I stopped the bill that – I don’t think parents should be telling schools what they should teach.”

President Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump quickly forced Biden out of the race, handing the Democrat nomination to Kamala Harris. (RELATED: Jones Bails: Dem AG Hopeful Refuses to Face Miyares in Debate)

Virginia voters continue to cite cost of living and immigration as two of their top three issues this cycle, policies which tend to favor Republicans. On parental rights, energy costs, and other issues, Spanberger’s policies tend to deviate from the majority of Virginians, yet Democrats consistently poll ahead of Republicans because of one issue: Donald Trump.

Spanberger has pulled out of debates before. In 2022, after surrogates proposed legislation calling for the arrest of parents concerned about public education. In response to Spanberger’s refusal, Townhall released video of the former Congresswoman saying that voters should not vote for a candidate who will not debate.

Spanberger called debates “fun” and said elections without debates were not fair to the voters.

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