It would be quite difficult to find any college or university academics at Virginia state schools that are supporting Earley, mainly due to backlash against the Gilmore budget cuts and construction freezes. Many of the projects Gilmore cut or froze were of marginal usefulness, anyway (an arts building at UVA, I seem to remember), but his perceived interference with the supposed "autonomy" of higher educations rankled a lot of them.
You'd be hard pressed to find college/university support for a Republican during the best of times.
I'm sure you already know, but those alleged budget cuts were the doing of the RINO Senators who are not the least bit comfortable with the GOP's newfound dominance in the Old Dominion. Of course, the Left's not about to let the Truth get in the way of a Good Anti-GOP Story!!
"...[Gilmore's] perceived interference with the supposed "autonomy" of higher educations rankled a lot of them."
The Leftist Bureaucracy that dominates our System of Higher Education is most certainly a major player in a lot of what is Wrong in this State--and this Country. Spending on Education has actually gone up dramatically during Gov. Gilmore's tenure, but you wouldn't know that if you depended on the Vast, LeftWing Medyuh Whore'd for yer news, which, unfortunately, way too many of the Sheeple still do!!
FReegards...MUD