UPDATE: At 6:15 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 5, Lt. Gov. Earle-Sears posted a video on social media formally announcing her campaign for Virginia governor.
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) – Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears has filed paperwork to run for Virginia governor in 2025.
Lt. Gov. Earle-Sears’ statement of organization – paperwork needed to launch a campaign – was accepted by the Virginia Department of Elections on Sept. 4.
Earle-Sears, the first woman to serve as Virginia lieutenant governor , was expected to jump into the governor’s race, recently acknowledging she was exploring a run. She is holding a rally in Virginia Beach at 6 p.m. Thursday “ to make a special announcement .”
Earle-Sears is the first woman of color, and only the second woman, to hold statewide office in the commonwealth. If Earle-Sears prevails next year, she will be the first Black woman to serve as a governor in the country.
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Her press team did not respond to multiple requests for comment or the announcement statement shared with The Washington Post.