Political pundits believe Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears is well on her way to become the first Black woman governor in the country after being elected as the first woman of color and first immigrant to statewide office in Virginia.
The Republican politician says while the reports are flattering, she does not want her feat to help her party reach Black voters, specifically Black woman, who are majority Democratic.
In a recent sit-down with Politico’s The Recast podcast, the Kingston, Jamaica native spoke about her path to the GOP, beginning with why she decided to side with the Republican party.
“I can’t really say that my family were Democrats — I really don’t know what they were,” she recalled. “I know we talked politics all the time — we just always had point-counterpoint, you know? So I think more than anything they were independents, because in Jamaica, Black people are on both sides of the political spectrum.”
She continued: “But I think more than anything, the second generation will assimilate. I was still the kid who came off the Pan American plane, I was growing up as a youngster in America and took on Americanisms. And around me, Black people are Democrats. And I guess that’s what [I thought] I’m supposed to be.”
The 59-year-old recently served as national chair for Black Americans to Re-Elect President Trump, but since then, she has grown to have disdain for the former president, who she thinks didn’t represent her party well.
After Republicans performed poorly during last year’s midterms, she openly addressed her displeasure for Trump.
“A true leader understands when they have become a liability,” she said at the time. “A true leader understands that it’s time to step off the stage.”
Trump clapped back, calling her a “phony.”
When asked if she thinks Republicans need to move on from Trump, she responded:
“In Virginia, we could not have won had we not had enough Democrats and enough independents who decided that we had a common sense approach to legislation, and how to govern. And so they jumped ship and voted for us. It’s the same in America herself. We’re politically split almost 50-50 with independents in between, and we’re not going to win — we Republicans — in November of 2024 if we do not convince enough of a percentage of Democrats and independents to vote for our side.”
