New assault advert targets Spanberger amid file early voting in Virginia

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FIRST ON FOX: A brand new seven-figure advert in Virginia’s governor’s race is drawing comparisons to the notorious Willie Horton spot of 1988 amid file early voting within the Previous Dominion State.

The advert, produced by the American Principles Project , assaults Democrat Abigail Spanberger over transgender insurance policies and warns of the hazards of organic males in girls's areas. It comes as early voting tops 146,000 ballots within the first week, greater than twice the tempo of 2021 in accordance with knowledge from the Virginia Public Access Project .

The spot factors to Richard Cox, a Tier III intercourse offender in Arlington County who has been charged a number of occasions with exposing himself in women’ locker rooms. The advert says Spanberger’s file and her opposition to Governor Glenn Youngkin’s guidelines for transgender students would let it occur once more. It accuses her of placing radical ideology forward of security for younger women.

"The case of sexual deviant Richard Cox preying upon younger women in Virginia is enraging to any first rate particular person – however to not Abigail Spanberger," Terry Schilling, founding father of the American Ideas Mission mentioned to Fox Information Digital. "She refuses to sentence Richard Cox in any respect."

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<source media="(max-width: 767px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/10/343/192/new-campaign-ad-targets-spanberger-on-transgender-policies-sex-offenders-around-children.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/10/686/384/new-campaign-ad-targets-spanberger-on-transgender-policies-sex-offenders-around-children.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="192" width="343"><source media="(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/10/672/378/new-campaign-ad-targets-spanberger-on-transgender-policies-sex-offenders-around-children.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/10/1344/756/new-campaign-ad-targets-spanberger-on-transgender-policies-sex-offenders-around-children.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="378" width="672"><source media="(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/10/931/523/new-campaign-ad-targets-spanberger-on-transgender-policies-sex-offenders-around-children.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/10/1862/1046/new-campaign-ad-targets-spanberger-on-transgender-policies-sex-offenders-around-children.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="523" width="931"><source media="(min-width: 1280px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/10/720/405/new-campaign-ad-targets-spanberger-on-transgender-policies-sex-offenders-around-children.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/10/1440/810/new-campaign-ad-targets-spanberger-on-transgender-policies-sex-offenders-around-children.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="405" width="720"> The marketing campaign advert contrasts Republican Winsome Sears with Democrat Abigail Spanberger on crime and security. (Courtesy of American Ideas Mission)

"She’s prevented answering any and all questions on it and the reply is apparent – as a result of this case is just attainable due to Spanberger’s radical transgender coverage agenda. Cox has been a repeat offender for over 30 years! He was allowed to enter girls’s personal areas the place little women are susceptible and nobody stopped him," Schilling added.

"If Abigail Spanberger is elected Governor of Virginia , she's going to repeal all protections for ladies in Virginia and put much more younger women in peril. The explanation we're spending $1 million on this advert is as a result of each Virginia voter ought to know that Abigail Spanberger will endanger their daughters," Schilling mentioned.

APP has run comparable advertisements in different battleground states, positioning itself as a defender of households and warning towards insurance policies it claims "confuse[s] younger youngsters about altering their gender." By airing the advert now, APP hopes to border Spanberger as out of step with Virginia voters earlier than Election Day.

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<source media="(max-width: 767px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/10/343/192/new-campaign-ad-targets-spanberger-on-transgender-policies-sex-offenders-around-children-1.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/10/686/384/new-campaign-ad-targets-spanberger-on-transgender-policies-sex-offenders-around-children-1.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="192" width="343"><source media="(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/10/672/378/new-campaign-ad-targets-spanberger-on-transgender-policies-sex-offenders-around-children-1.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/10/1344/756/new-campaign-ad-targets-spanberger-on-transgender-policies-sex-offenders-around-children-1.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="378" width="672"><source media="(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/10/931/523/new-campaign-ad-targets-spanberger-on-transgender-policies-sex-offenders-around-children-1.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/10/1862/1046/new-campaign-ad-targets-spanberger-on-transgender-policies-sex-offenders-around-children-1.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="523" width="931"><source media="(min-width: 1280px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/10/720/405/new-campaign-ad-targets-spanberger-on-transgender-policies-sex-offenders-around-children-1.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/10/1440/810/new-campaign-ad-targets-spanberger-on-transgender-policies-sex-offenders-around-children-1.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="405" width="720"> A marketing campaign advert in Virginia assaults Democrat Abigail Spanberger over what it calls radical transgender insurance policies. (Courtesy of American Ideas Mission)

The technique echoes the famous Willie Horton ad of 1988 which linked Democrat Michael Dukakis to the convicted assassin who dedicated rape and assault whereas on weekend furlough from a Massachusetts jail. George H.W. Bush went on to defeat Dukakis by seven factors nationally, and the advert grew to become a defining instance of how the GOP can use crime to win races.

Spanberger has voted for the Equality Act in Congress and opposed Youngkin’s pointers, however native college boards management locker room entry. Her marketing campaign has tried to maintain the deal with the economic system and her personal file in Washington.

"Convicted intercourse offender Richard Cox is a predator who must be in jail — and that’s precisely the place he's," a spokeperson for Spanberger's marketing campaign advised Fox Information Digital. "Abigail is a mother or father of three daughters in Virginia public faculties and a former federal regulation enforcement officer who went after baby predators — nothing is extra necessary to her than the protection of Virginia’s children. As Governor, Abigail will work with state and native regulation enforcement officers to maintain Virginia children secure and ensure intercourse offenders are prevented from preying on youngsters and prosecuted for his or her crimes."

<source media="(max-width: 767px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/10/343/192/new-campaign-ad-targets-spanberger-on-transgender-policies-sex-offenders-around-children-2.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/10/686/384/new-campaign-ad-targets-spanberger-on-transgender-policies-sex-offenders-around-children-2.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="192" width="343"><source media="(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1023px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/10/672/378/new-campaign-ad-targets-spanberger-on-transgender-policies-sex-offenders-around-children-2.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/10/1344/756/new-campaign-ad-targets-spanberger-on-transgender-policies-sex-offenders-around-children-2.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="378" width="672"><source media="(min-width: 1024px) and (max-width: 1279px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/10/931/523/new-campaign-ad-targets-spanberger-on-transgender-policies-sex-offenders-around-children-2.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/10/1862/1046/new-campaign-ad-targets-spanberger-on-transgender-policies-sex-offenders-around-children-2.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="523" width="931"><source media="(min-width: 1280px)" srcset="https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/10/720/405/new-campaign-ad-targets-spanberger-on-transgender-policies-sex-offenders-around-children-2.jpg?ve=1&tl=1, https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2025/10/1440/810/new-campaign-ad-targets-spanberger-on-transgender-policies-sex-offenders-around-children-2.jpg?ve=1&tl=1 2x" height="405" width="720"> The American Ideas Mission launched an advert tying Abigail Spanberger to intercourse offenders and criticizing her transgender coverage file. (Courtesy of American Ideas Mission)

Cox stays in custody on the Arlington County jail on a number of pending fees, in accordance with the Arlington County Sheriff’s Office inmate database .

"Abigail Spanberger’s insurance policies enabled Richard Cox to prey on girls and women. No quantity of political harm management can erase that file," Schilling mentioned in response to the Spanberger marketing campaign to Fox Information Digital. "Spanberger is simply too harmful to steer Virginia. As Governor, Spanberger will repeal Gov. Youngkin’s current government order barring males from feminine personal areas."

Republicans argue that security and cultural points are resonating extra deeply with mother and father throughout the state, significantly after Youngkin's win in 2021, which many linked to parental rights in schooling.

Polling shows Spanberger with a lead, however the numbers recommend a aggressive race. A Washington Put up Schar College ballot taken in late September confirmed her at 55 % to Republican nominee Winsome Sears at 43. With Republicans casting about half of the primary week’s early ballots, the race is among the most-watched within the nation.

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Extra advertisements are anticipated because the marketing campaign heats up and voters in Virginia ship in file numbers of early ballots. The ultimate weeks of the race will present whether or not the robust on crime playbook nonetheless rings true practically 4 a long time after Willie Horton. Early voting ends on November 1.