Conservative PAC aims to force Spanberger to answer on trans issues

A conservative political group has launched a scathing new ad in the Virginia gubernatorial race aimed at forcing Democrat Abigail Spanberger to publicly clarify her position on transgender policies, an issue the group says it has avoided discussing as the race enters its home stretch.

The video, released by Restoration of America PAC, a network of various conservative organizations, portrays the former congresswoman as a radical who endangers children’s safety by supporting gender changes for children and allowing biological boys to use girls’ locker rooms.

“Abigail Spanberger is as extreme as it gets,” the narrator says over ominous music.

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A transgender pride flag and former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., (Getty Images)

“She would allow boys to play girls’ sports and shower in girls’ locker rooms… naked. Worse? She apparently completely agrees with the horrible reversal of gender mutilation and the irreversible sterilization of children.”

Spanberger, a former CIA officer, will face Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears in one of only two gubernatorial elections in the United States this November. These confrontations are seen as political indicators ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, with former President Barack Obama endorsing Spanberger this week. Most polls indicated that Spanberger enjoyed a lead over Earle-Sears.

“Spanberger refuses to answer questions about it because she knows how evil it is,” the ad continues. “Most civilized countries forbid it, and Spanberger’s silence enables horror.”

The 30-second spot is airing on television and digital platforms across Virginia as part of a $3.3 million statewide buy, according to the PAC.

The group claims that Spanberger avoided the issue on the campaign trail and that the ad’s goal is to force his hand while highlighting what it calls his “pro-trans record” in Congress.

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Spanberger voted against the Protecting Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2023, a bill aimed at preventing transgender women and girls from competing in women’s sports categories.

She also co-sponsored the Equality Act in 2019, 2021 and 2023. The legislation sought to include gender identity and sexual orientation as a protected class, a move that critics say would have required schools and public facilities to allow transgender girls to use girls’ restrooms and participate in girls’ sports.

Earle-Sears has also made the issue a focal point of its election campaign and released its own ad last month targeting what it calls Spanberger’s positions.

Last month, local media directly pressed her to allow transgender women to participate in women’s sports and use girls’ bathrooms.

“I think it’s important for parents and teachers and administrators to make decisions … based on the age of the kids, the type of sport, the competitiveness,” Spanberger told WSET last month.

Former U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., a Democratic candidate for governor, speaks to supporters outside the Eastern Government Center in Henrico, Va., Sept. 19, 2025, the first day of early voting. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Spanberger’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital about her stance on transgender policies or the new ad targeting her.

Doug Truax, founder and CEO of Restoration of America PAC, denounced Spanberger’s reluctance to discuss the issue, calling it one that could decide the race.

“She’s not running for a library board in a city. She wants to be governor of Virginia,” Truax told Fox Digital in a video interview. “She has taken some pretty demanding positions on child mutilation, and that suits her perfectly.

“She needs to take a stand on this,” Truax said. “If she doesn’t, that just means she’s OK with it.”

The scandal surrounding Democratic attorney general candidate Jay Jones also shook the race after texts surfaced describing him contemplating the murder of a GOP leader and his children.

Truax said Spanberger’s voting record made his position “very clear” despite what he called his campaign team’s efforts to avoid the topic.

Virginia Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears also attacked Spanberger’s stance on transgender issues. (Kristen Zeis/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

“His politicians say, ‘Don’t talk about it,'” he said. “But she can’t hide. Virginians deserve to know where she stands.”

He said the issue was reaching a “boiling point” among parents and grandparents nationwide.

“Gender-affirming care is code for child mutilation,” he said. “It’s horrible. We’ll look back on it in a decade and ask what happened.”

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He also credited President Donald Trump’s re-election with emboldening voters who oppose gender policies to fight woke culture.

“They don’t want guys in women’s sports or in the locker room,” he said. “They know it’s wrong and they’re tired of being told otherwise.

“There was a time when people knew what the right thing to do was but didn’t say it out loud,” Truax said. “Now they vote that way.”