Former Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger made history on Nov. 4, becoming the first female governor of Virginia.

Still, I'm disappointed that Virginians failed to choose Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, a qualified, conservative candidate for governor, following Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin and President Donald Trump's successes, and instead reverted to electing another unequipped Democrat.

Voters in Virginia had a chance to continue Republican policies in the state, but chose instead to pick a bad candidate.

Abigail Spanberger for Virginia governor was a poor choice

Spanberger, a former CIA officer, was neither more qualified nor better suited for the role. In fact, she had some pretty distasteful counts against her, including taking her sweet time denouncing ghoulish text messages that Democratic attorney general nominee Jay Jones had written about Republicans. That was bad enough. Then she complained that she had to do so.

I'd say that condemning violence is a low bar for a person running for governor − but you do you, Virginia.

Spanberger wants to turn Virginia, a state I loved living in for 10 years, into a sanctuary state. While speaking at the University of Virginia Center for Politics on Sept. 16, she said she would stop cooperating with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE.

"I have been quite clear in the fact that I oppose any sort of mandates that require localities to, frankly, do the work of ICE officials,” Spanberger said.

The governor-elect will likely be bad for small businesses, too. Her support for a $15 minimum wage will also affect business owners and increase prices for consumers, as Virginians will soon see.

Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears is an American success story

Earle-Sears ran against Spanberger with a better story of success and potential to help the state.

Her American success story is so riveting that it could be a blockbuster film.

Here's the short movie trailer blurb: Born in Jamaica, she emigrated to the United States at 6 years old, served in the Marine Corps and, against all odds, made history with a series of firsts ‒ the first woman to become lieutenant governor of Virginia, the first Black female elected statewide, among several other milestones.

Plus, Earle-Sears backs conservative policies that helped get Youngkin (and Trump) elected, including parents' rights.

Perhaps her biggest boon in Virginia, a state that narrowly went to Vice President Kamala Harris, is that she might be more MAGA than MAGA is: She's known for her love of firearms.

The people of Virginia have spoken, and I support their right to choose their leader. But Virginians should have chosen Earle-Sears, a far more qualified conservative with an incredible personal story to continue what Youngkin started ‒ and road Trump's coattails to lower taxes, more freedoms and a better Virginia. Plus, she would have been Virginia's first Black female governor to boot. Now, Virginians will just have a subpar, spineless Democrat instead.

Nicole Russell is an opinion columnist with USA TODAY. She lives in Texas with her four kids. Sign up for her newsletter, The Right Track, and get it delivered to your inbox.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Virginia voters chose Abigail Spanberger for governor. They chose poorly. | Opinion

Reporting by Nicole Russell, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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