Robert Johnson, co-founder of Black Entertainment Television (BET) and chairman of RLJ Companies, has pledged $500,000 to the campaign of Virginia Republican gubernatorial nominee Winsome Earle-Sears.
The donation came after Earle-Sears, currently serving as Virginia’s lieutenant governor, was subjected to a racist attack during a protest outside an Arlington County School Board meeting on August 21.
Politico’s Playbook reported Friday that Johnson, one of the United States’ first Black billionaires and a longtime Democratic donor, said he made the contribution to show his support for Earle-Sears following the incident.
“Madam Lt. Governor. I was so appalled by that racist diatribe displayed by a useful idiot at a recent press event that I chose to show all the voters of Virginia how Black Brothers stand up to defend and support their Black Sisters when confronted with unadulterated racism,” Johnson wrote in a statement shared by Earle-Sears’ campaign.
“I have always been a good investor and that’s why I’m investing in you.”
Earle-Sears, who won election as lieutenant governor in 2021, would become the first Black female governor in the nation if she defeats Democratic nominee Abigail Spanberger, a former Virginia congresswoman, in November.
The incident that prompted Johnson’s donation involved a protestor at the August 21 Arlington County School Board meeting.
An older white woman held up a sign that read: “Hey Winsome, if trans can’t share your bathroom, then blacks can’t share my water foundation.”
The sign was intended to express opposition to Earle-Sears’ criticism of school bathroom and locker room policies that allow biological males access to female facilities.
Earle-Sears condemned the protestor’s sign in a post on X, calling it an example of the very intolerance she has often accused Democrats of enabling.
“I’m disgusted, but not surprised. This is the ‘tolerant’ left Abigail Spanberger defends,” she wrote.
“There is no place for this disgusting hatred in our Commonwealth. Anyone who doesn’t condemn this sign is complicit in approving it.”
Spanberger, who is running against Earle-Sears for governor, issued a statement on X the following morning.
She described the sign as “racist” and “abhorrent,” aligning with Earle-Sears in rejecting the language used by the protestor.
Johnson’s contribution marks a significant moment in Virginia’s gubernatorial race.
Though historically a supporter of Democratic candidates, including former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe in 2021 and Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, Johnson has now directed his financial backing toward a Republican nominee.
McAuliffe was defeated by current Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin in 2021.
Earle-Sears’ campaign has framed Johnson’s donation as an example of bipartisan recognition of the lieutenant governor’s leadership and as a rejection of the racially charged rhetoric directed at her during the August 21 meeting.
With Virginia’s gubernatorial election set for November, the race between Earle-Sears and Spanberger is expected to draw national attention, not only because of its political implications but also because of the historic nature of Earle-Sears’ candidacy.
If elected, she would become the first Black female governor in the United States.
The incident in Arlington County and Johnson’s subsequent donation underscore the heightened tensions and national scrutiny surrounding the campaign, as both parties prepare for what is expected to be one of the most closely watched gubernatorial races in the country.
