The Republican Party in Virginia confirmed on Saturday that the commonwealth’s lieutenant governor, Winsome Earle-Sears, will be the party’s primary nominee in the 2025 gubernatorial race.
The announcement comes after no other GOP candidates qualified to appear on the ballot for the primary election, which will be held on June 17.
As of Thursday night, hours after the filing deadline, it was unclear whether former state Sen. Amanda Chase (R), who termed herself “Trump in heels,” would qualify for the ballot.
Chase said early Thursday that she filed her paperwork to run but that her team did not have time to count and verify that she had the necessary number of signatures to qualify for the ballot.
Virginia’s governor, Glenn Youngkin (R), is ineligible to run for governor in November since Virginia bars governors from seeking consecutive terms in office.
“The Republican Party of Virginia congratulates Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears on becoming the Republican nominee for Governor of Virginia. As the sole candidate to qualify for the Republican primary ballot on June 17th, Sears will be the Republican Party’s nominee for Governor on the November 4th ballot,” the party said in a statement, touting her as “an unwavering partner” of the governor’s over the past four years.
“Winsome Sears will be a governor for all Virginians, and the Republican Party of Virginia congratulates her on becoming our nominee,” the party added.
Earle-Sears, who has secured Youngkin’s endorsement, said in a statement Saturday that she’s “proud” to be the nominee.
“We’ve made great progress over the past four years, but the fight for our Commonwealth is far from over,” she wrote on X. “I’m ready to lead that fight and build a safer, stronger, more prosperous Virginia for every family.”
The announcement sets up a two-way battle in November. Former Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) is the sole candidate on the Democratic side, after no Democratic candidate ultimately filed the paperwork to run against her in June. The race for lieutenant governor, however, is crowded.
