Winsome Earle-Sears Takes ‘Stolen Valor’ Seriously. A PAC Appears to Be Embellishing Her Military Record.

A PAC supporting the Republican gubernatorial candidate in Virginia says she fought overseas — something Earle-Sears has never said she did.

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Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears salutes the flag during the opening of the senate session at the Capitol on March 1, 2022, in Richmond, Va. Earle-Sears is a former Marine. Steve Helber/AP

Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears served in the Marine Corps in the 1980s as an electrician and diesel mechanic — a record she touts as she campaigns to be the state’s next Republican governor.

The pro-Earle-Sears Spirit of Virginia PAC, which is tied to Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, appears to be embellishing that record.

“Marine, legal immigrant, business owner, fighter. She fought for our freedom overseas,” a radio ad paid for by the group says, going on to call Earle-Sears’ opponent, Democrat and former U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, “a Washington swamp creature,” and a “deep state CIA operative.”