Fired Federal Worker: “Her campaigning with the architect of DOGE just — it makes clear that you’re not serious about the impacts that are to come [...]”

VIRGINIA  – From new leaked audio to fired federal workers speaking out, Winsome Earle-Sears continues to face more pressure for inviting DOGE architect Vivek Ramaswamy who is responsible for firing thousands of Virginians to campaign with her on Friday. 
 
Earlier this week, Abigail Spanberger called on Sears to cancel the event, but Sears has refused, doubling down on her support of policies that hurt Virginia. Leaked audio also exposed Sears bragging about the endorsement.
 
Tiffany Pryce Russom, a former staffer at the Administration for Children and Families at the Department of Health and Human Services, shared her reaction to the rally with the Virginia Independent: 
 
“Her campaigning with the architect of DOGE just — it makes clear that you’re not serious about the impacts that are to come, that have already been realized for Virginia’s economy, right? And if you’re not serious about Virginia’s economy, then you probably should not be governor.”

What Virginians are seeing: 
 
Richmond Times-Dispatch: Ramaswamy to attend Earle-Sears rally; Democrats cite his DOGE role

• Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will join Virginia gubernatorial nominee Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears to kick off early voting at a rally Friday evening in Chesterfield County.
• Democrats are seeking to exploit his appearance, characterizing it as proof of Earle-Sears’ alleged insensitivity to the loss of federal jobs in parts of the state that depend on them.
• Ramaswamy, who is running for governor in Ohio next year, initially was a co-leader of the “Department of Government Efficiency,” a White House office that has led the assault on the federal workforce and spending under President Donald Trump.
• Democrats say Earle-Sears has played down cuts to the federal workforce and said displaced workers can find jobs in the private sector.
• “If you know you know that name but can’t remember why, it’s because he was one of the chief architects of the DOGE efforts — you know that same effort that led to thousands upon thousands of Virginians losing their jobs,” Spanberger said of Ramaswamy in a video from her campaign.
• The former congresswoman called on Earle-Sears to cancel her appearance with Ramaswamy and added, “It’s frankly the least she can do. She won’t defend Virginians who are losing their jobs. She won’t defend Virginia’s economy. But she shouldn’t invite him here.”
• Earle-Sears’ campaign did not respond to requests for comment

13 News Now: Sears to campaign with DOGE leader

• Reporter: [On Friday when] early voting starts, Winsome Earle-Sears is supposed to hold a rally with DOGE leaders. It's a rally that Spanberger has asked her opponent to cancel. In Virginia Beach, Madison Schlegel. 13 News Now. 
• Anchor: Now, the tension around Friday's rally centers around the thousands of people dealing with Federal workforce layoffs across the Commonwealth. 

Virginia Independent: Winsome Earle-Sears schedules campaign event with former leader of Trump’s DOGE efforts

• Since President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency began slashing the federal workforce in early 2025, thousands of Virginians employed by the federal government or its contractors have lost their jobs. Now Virginia Republican gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears, who has repeatedly defended those cuts, and the other GOP candidates for statewide office are scheduled to appear at a campaign rally to be headlined by former DOGE leader Vivek Ramaswamy.
• On Sept. 16, Spanberger called on Earle-Sears to cancel the rally. 
• Earle-Sears has praised DOGE’s efforts. In March, she was recorded asking an audience: “How many here has ever lost a job? Oh, you mean it’s not unusual? It happens to everybody all the time? OK. And the media is making it out to be this huge, huge thing. And I don’t understand why.” Asked in an Aug. 1 CNN interview whether she supported Trump’s cuts, she refused to answer and said, “I want to talk about real issues.”
• The Earle-Sears, Reid, and Miyares campaigns did not respond to requests for comment for this story. On Sept. 10, Earle-Sears told Fox News she was honored to have Ramaswamy’s backing.
• At a Sept. 16 roundtable discussion of the impact of the Trump administration’s workforce cuts organized by the Democratic Party of Virginia, former federal employees who had lost their jobs due to DOGE’s efforts said the planned Ramaswamy event showed how out of touch Earle-Sears is.
• “I just think it’s a farce; I think it’s such a disconnect from reality,” said Tiffany Pryce Russom, a former staffer at the Administration for Children and Families at the Department of Health and Human Services. “Her campaigning with the architect of DOGE just — it makes clear that you’re not serious about the impacts that are to come, that have already been realized for Virginia’s economy, right? And if you’re not serious about Virginia’s economy, then you probably should not be governor.”

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