Virginia Lieutenant Governor Winsome Sears (R) this week filed his paperwork for his candidacy for the state’s governorship next year.
Sears’ filings were accepted by the Virginia State Board of Elections on Wednesday, according to Nexstar’s Richmond affiliate, WRIC. The Hill is owned by Nexstar Media Group.
The development comes after Sears’ team said Wednesday that it would make a “special announcement” in Virginia Beach on Thursday.
Sears is the first Republican to enter the midterm race, which is likely to dominate campaign news next year. Late last year, Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger (Va.) launched her campaign for governor.
The lieutenant governor, who was formerly a state delegate, is the first woman of color and the second woman to hold statewide office in Virginia. The state has never had a female governor, making a potential confrontation between Sears and Spanberger a historic event. Sears would also be the first black female governor in U.S. history.
Sears and Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) made waves in the political universe in 2021 by flipping the Democratic state a year after President Biden’s victory over former President Trump. Youngkin and Sears centered their campaign on what they called parental rights in education, focusing on public school curricula.
Since then, however, Democrats have won a series of midterm election victories. In 2022, most Democrats in swing districts retained their seats, with the exception of former Rep. Elaine Luria (D-Va.). And in 2023, Democrats retained their majority in the state Senate and won the House of Representatives.
