ROANOKE, Virginia — As Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears (R-VA) closes out her bid for governor of Virginia, the loudest voice in Republican politics is the one going unmentioned.

At the Shenandoah Club in Roanoke on Monday, Earle-Sears stood before rows of supporters beneath a blue backdrop reading “Common Sense, Not Nonsense.” She railed against Democrat Abigail Spanberger over taxes, energy policy, and crime, casting the race as a fight for Virginia’s future and warning voters to “make the darkness tremble.” She invoked faith, family, and the American dream, but never once mentioned President Donald Trump.