CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – Coinciding with the start of early voting, Democrats have released a new digital ad targeting what they say will be the devastating impact on healthcare from President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, and Republican gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears support of that legislation.
Using video of Earle-Sears saying, “the bill, as you know now, does so many great things,” the ad for Democratic nominee Abigail Spanberger aims to call attention to Earle-Sears support of the Trump budget. The ad goes on to show part of a local television report on Augusta Health’s decision to close three of its more rural locations.
The decision to shutter facilities in Churchville, Weyers Cave and Buena Vista, is part of the company’s “ongoing response to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and the resulting realities for healthcare delivery,” Augusta Medical Group announced in a statement earlier this month.
The ad states, “Rural clinics close. Hundreds of thousands lose coverage. Costs go up for everyone,” before replaying the opening quote.
A spokesperson for Earle-Sears’ campaign did not respond to multiple requests for a response.
The GOP nominee for lieutenant governor, John Reid, said estimates quoted by Democrats about the bill’s impact in the health care sector are exaggerated.
“If we could get the facts out, I think we’re going to be fine,” Reid told Cville Right Now. “Truly, the people who are being removed from the Medicaid rolls are people who weren’t supposed to have access to it anyway. So, the Democrats keep quoting this horrendous, huge number of people who are going to lose their healthcare. I can promise you that Republicans and responsible leaders in Washington and Richmond don’t want people to lose healthcare. They want to make sure the people who are on the program are legitimately on it and that they save the money so that the program doesn’t collapse.”
According to the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services chief financial officer Chris Gordon, beginning on July 1, 2028, Virginia hospitals are estimated to lose $26 billion over 14 years.
VDMAS projects as many as 630,000 Virginians could lose access to healthcare due to the cuts in the bill, which Trump signed into law on the Fourth of July.
The bill, and Earle-Sears support of it, has been a favored target of Democrats in the run-up to the November election.
Earle-Sears, Reid, and incumbent attorney general Jason Miyares – who have primarily been campaigning individually – will appear together in Chesterfield on Friday at an early-voting rally, according to Reid’s campaign.
The trio will be joined by Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Ohio Republican gubernatorial nominee Vivek Ramaswamy, the former co-head of DOGE with Elon Musk.
While Ramaswamy has been endorsed by Trump, Earle-Sears has not received an official endorsement from the President.
