Virginia Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears to run for governor

Virginia's current Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears has filed paperwork to begin her run for governor of the Commonwealth on the Republican ticket.

WASHINGTON - Virginia's current Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears has filed paperwork to begin her run for governor of the Commonwealth on the Republican ticket.

Earle-Sears’ statement of organization was accepted by the Virginia Department of Elections on Sept. 4, effectively making her the first GOP candidate to enter the 2025 race for the state's top office.

Earle-Sears has served under Gov. Glenn Youngkin since 2021 when she became the first female Lieutenant Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the first Black female elected to statewide office. Earle-Sears is also a former Marine and the first female veteran to serve as lieutenant governor.

Earle-Sears served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 2002 to 2004. After a nearly 15-year break from politics, she stepped back into the fray in 2018 when she ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate as a write-in candidate.

She's been a vocal supporter of former President Donald Trump and served as the former national chair for Black Americans to Re-Elect Trump.

Right now, Virginia Rep. Abigail Spanberger is the sole Democratic gubernatorial candidate.

Earle-Sears is holding a rally at Chick's Oyster Bar in Virginia Beach at 6 p.m. Thursday, likely to officially announce her candidacy.