On October 9, the two candidates for governor… Democrat Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger and Republican Lt. Governor Winsome Sears… engaged in their only debate.
Many have decried that there was only one, sixty-minute debate, which allowed only superficial handling of many important issues, while many other crucial topics never even came up.
But at least there was one debate between them, because in the race for the next lieutenant governor, the Democrat candidate Ghazala Hashmi has not agreed to any debate against her GOP opponent John Reid.
One topic in the gubernatorial debate was whether the two would continue to honor Gov. Youngkin’s policy to restrict bathroom and locker room access in schools to people of their specific, natural gender from birth.
Sears has made keeping biological males out of female personal spaces a top and visible priority in her campaign, but Spanberger refused to give a clear answer.
Public polling shows protecting females from males in public bathrooms and locker rooms to be an overwhelmingly popular position, but Spanberger has a voting record against that, and she dares not risk alienating a large segment of her Democrat base if she were to back away from it now.
Former Roanoke College women’s swim team captain Lily Mullens had a strong reaction to Spanberger’s attempt to “thread the needle” in the debate. If Spanberger had strongly condemned biological males in women’s private spaces, she would risk offending her base. However, if she clearly stated her support for biological males in such spaces, she may very well lose the election.
Thus, for what should be a simple black or white answer, Spanberger’s response sounded muddled.
Mullens herself is now a reluctant expert in the field of biological males encroaching on women’s spaces. Mullens’expertise comes from her team having taken the remarkable step to host an October 2023 press conference to call out Roanoke College for their lack of support and open hostility toward them when they opposed a biological male swimming on the women’s team.
Among local media, The Roanoke Star provided the most comprehensive, robust coverage of this rolling, ongoingscandal.
Their October 2023 press conference, at which Mullens was a key speaker, is covered here in Parts One, Two, Three, and Four.
In August 2025, Attorney General Miyares, who is currently running for reelection against Democrat Jay Jones, who is struggling to overcome several self-inflicted public relations disasters, came to Salem to announce that Roanoke College had violated the women swimmers’ rights.
Mullens added her personal response to Miyares’ announcement in this August 26 report.
When asked for her statement on Spanberger’s dodge on the issue of protecting women and their personal spaces, Mullens texted The Roanoke Star her comments that she had sent to Fox News a few days before.
Mullens has now graduated from Roanoke College and has entered the workforce.
Still, she remains a passionate voice for women’s sports and fairness.
“The cowardice and refusal to give a clear yes or no on keeping Governor Youngkin’s policy protecting Virginia’s girls destroys all trust in Spanberger’s judgment and integrity. I firmly believe that if you are unable to denounce such outward disregard for the rights of girls who live in the great Commonwealth of Virginia, then you are unworthy of holding any office, let alone that of a Governor.
“She stated multiple times that she has daughters in the very school systems in which she refuses to protect. For someone who is to be representing all constituents of Virginia, she should be able to clearly answer questions instead of pandering to the radical gender ideology, especially when asked about an issue that an overwhelming majority favors keeping men out of women’s spaces.
“Winsome Sears, a true leader, has made her position clear as one that is committed to protecting women and girls with the very thing Spanberger and her party lack: common sense.
“I can attest, as I know what it is like to feel as though your rights as a woman are completely overlooked by those in power. My teammates and I called for our story to be the last, but unfortunately, due to the lack of leadership from those pushing this anti-woman agenda, we have had to watch more girls suffer.
“Virginia needs people like Lt. Governor Sears and Attorney General Miyares now more than ever. That debate made that fact quite evident.”
Early voting is ongoing, and the last day to vote is November 4.
Want to find your voting place, dates, and hours? Use this state-run, non-partisan website, elections.virginia.gov, to find it.
– Scott Dreyer
