(The Center Square) – Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earles-Sears accuses her Democratic opponent for governor, Abigail Spanberger of hiding a trust; Spanberger says it only holds her home—and ethics experts say she may not have needed to report it.
The Dispute centers on a home Spanberger and her husband placed in a trust in 2017, which her campaign says produced no income and was legally exempt from disclosure.
With both women vying to become Virginia’s first female governor, the accusation has quickly turned into a fight over ethics, transparency and what voters expect from their candidates.
“Members of Congress do not need to report assets from a non-income producing trust where they are an administrator that does not receive income or have any beneficial interest in the trust,” said Delaney Marsco, ethics director at the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center.
“Personal residences that do not earn income are not required to be disclosed,” a campaign spokesperson said, “so Abigail did not disclose her family’s only home—as doing so would make their home address publicly available.”
They added that when the home was placed in a trust, “Abigail filed her disclosures in accordance with House ethics rules, which do not require her to disclose her role as a trustee of a living trust holding only her family’s home.”
Earle-Sears has publicly slammed Spanberger on social media, accusing her of “dodging tough questions” and “hiding a $900,000 trust fund.”
“She’s a typical politician,” Earle-Sears wrote in a post on X, questioning whether Virginians can trust Spanberger if she’s “willing to lie about this.”
The Earle-Sears campaign did not respond to a request for comment beyond public posts.
The accusation signals an early campaign strategy from Earle-Sears, who has so far leaned into sharp, combative messaging to define Spanberger as the race for the governor’s mansion heats up.
Under House ethics rules, members of Congress are not required to disclose personal residences or non-income-producing assets held in a trust as long as they receive no financial benefit. They must report liabilities such as mortgages and disclose trustee roles only if the position involves an organization or generates income.
Virginia requires statewide candidates to file a Statement of Economic Interests, but similar to federal rules, personal residences are typically exempt if they don’t produce income. The state form focuses on business ties, investments and income sources—leaving out non-commercial trusts like the one Spanberger’s team says holds her home.
