Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears attacked her gubernatorial rival, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger on Monday for her lack of leadership and refusal to denounce a supporter of her campaign who appeared to justify Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
During a Fox News Channel appearance with Martha MacCallum as the host, Earle Sears called Spanberger out for her previous endorsement of Dorothy Heffron. Heffron is a Chesterfield County School Board Member who posted to Instagram: “Call it old-fashioned but I remember back when we were okay with shooting Nazis.”
Kirk was shot dead on September 10 while speaking at Utah Valley University.
Abigail Spanberger’s spine is made of pasta.
Dot Heffron will not speak out or withdraw her support for Charlie Kirk, even after she justified the assassination. pic.twitter.com/8wcpoaSEB7
Winsome Earle Sears (@winwithwinsome).
September 16, 2025
Earle-Sears stated, “My opponent Abigail Spanberger is proudly endorsed and supported by Dot Heffron the member of the school board.” “We have been calling her to tell her that this woman justified — justified — Charlie Kirk’s assassination. When will you say that you disagree with her? When? “I have found that Abigail Spanberger has the spine of pasta as my opponent.”
Spanberger did not address Heffron directly, but she released a statement in social media that condemned any justifications or minimizations of Kirk’s death.
She wrote in the post that, as law enforcement continued its investigation, it was “important to state unambiguously” that she condemned any attempt to defend or minimize the killing. She also said that, while differences of opinion or policy are a part of democracy they shouldn’t lead to violence.
She wrote: “We are a country of laws – and we have the First Amendment right to freedom of speech. This right is not only for those who agree with our views.”
I believe it is important to say unequivocally that as the investigation continues, and law enforcement continues building their case, any attempts to justify or minimize Charlie Kirk’s horrific murder or the murder of anyone else are condemned.
Disagreements about policy, perspectives or even…
— Abigail Spanberger (@SpanbergerForVA)
September 12, 2025
Spanberger warned against making light of violence, saying that it “damages our core fabric.” She urged elected officials and leaders of the community to join her and denounce both calls for violence and attempts at justifying it.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin, R-VA, also commented on social media. He said: “Nobody should be allowed to come within 100 yards of any student who would cheer for murder.” I call on both party leaders to… demand her resign.”
Heffron’s controversial post sparked a backlash. Her four fellow members of the school board publicly condemned her statement and demanded her resignation.
Heffron submitted a letter of resignation on Sunday. She expressed regret for her actions: “It has never been my intention to trivialize violence or suggest that harming anyone is acceptable,” she wrote. She added that she will have “very little involvement” in the board’s affairs until her tenure ends.
Earle-Sears publicly rebuked Spanberger in the Charlie Kirk controversy for the second time within recent weeks.
The Lt. Governor of Virginia, R.J. Spanberger was criticized for her silence regarding Loudoun County’s transgender policy, after a county school board voted against the federal guidelines of the Department of Education about transgender children using bathrooms and lockers that match their gender identity.
Earle-Sears alleged that Spanberger was aligned with the “radical agenda” of the school board and ignored the concerns of female students and parents.
Earle-Sears, in a blog post in August on X, wrote that “Abigail Spanberger is in support of the radical Loudoun School Board in its push to allow girls in boys’ bathrooms and locker room.” If she truly cared for Virginia’s daughters or parents, she would reject this insanity.
Spanberger didn’t publicly respond to this accusation when it happened.
The controversy is fueling an already tense Virginia gubernatorial contest between Earle Sears and Spanberger. Spanberger, who has tried to portray herself as a liberal, is being portrayed by Republicans as a radical and out-of-touch with suburban parents.
Earle-Sears is a conservative rising star and Virginia’s first Black female Lieutenant Governor. Governor is expected to focus her campaign on cultural issues, from school policies and political violence to the culture of Virginia.
Early voting begins this Friday, and the controversy intensifies an already heated race for Virginia governor in 2025 between Earle-Sears versus Spanberger.
