By Anna Bryson

Virginia’s 2025 governor’s race is set: Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears will face former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic nominee.

In November, Virginians will elect the state’s first female governor.

The Republican Party of Virginia announced Saturday afternoon that Earle-Sears is the GOP nominee and that there will be no Republican primary for governor.

In the June 17 statewide primary, voters will choose each party’s nominee for lieutenant governor and the Democratic nominee for attorney general.

The two other Republicans who filed to run for governor, former Sen. Amanda Chase, R-Chesterfield, and former Del. Dave LaRock, R-Loudoun, did not amass enough verified signatures — 10,000, with at least 400 from each of the state’s 11 congressional districts — to qualify for the ballot.

“I am deeply grateful for the support of the tens of thousands of Virginians who worked to earn our campaign’s place on the ballot this fall,” Earle-Sears said in a statement.

“The stakes in this race couldn’t be higher — we must continue our work to protect the Commonwealth from radical changes that would undo the progress we’ve made in restoring prosperity to Virginia. I will never stop fighting to make life more affordable, our schools stronger, and our communities safer.

“We’ve delivered important progress over the past four years, and we still have so much more to do. I am honored to serve as the Republican nominee in this race and will deliver a victory for every Virginian this fall.”

The state GOP said Saturday afternoon that James City County businessman John Curran, one of the party’s three hopefuls for lieutenant governor, did not submit enough signatures to make the ballot. Fairfax County Supervisor Pat Herrity has qualified to seek the party’s nomination for lieutenant governor, and the party is reviewing signatures that longtime Richmond radio host John Reid submitted.

Attorney General Jason Miyares is seeking reelection and is unopposed for the GOP nomination.

Spanberger

The Democratic Party of Virginia announced Friday Spanberger is the Democratic nominee for governor, as no other Democrats filed to run before the deadline.

“Virginia is my home — it’s where I grew up, and it’s where my husband and I are raising our three daughters,” Spanberger said in a Friday statement. “Virginians across the Commonwealth are telling me the issues they want their leaders to address, and I share their priorities — strengthening our public schools, making Virginia a more affordable place to live, defending our fundamental rights, keeping our communities safe, protecting Virginians’ jobs, strengthening our economy, and standing up to the chaos in Washington that is putting Virginians’ livelihoods at risk.”

Spanberger was born in New Jersey but raised in Henrico County. A former CIA officer and criminal investigator for the U.S. Postal Service, she won three elections to Congress in two different configurations of the competitive 7th District.

In 2018, she upset Rep. Dave Brat, R-7th, in a suburban-rural Richmond-area district that Republicans had held for nearly 50 years. Two years later she topped Del. Nick Freitas, R-Culpeper. After the state Supreme Court redrew Virginia’s congressional map and moved the district to Northern Virginia, Spanberger won again in 2022, topping Republican Yesli Vega.

Spanberger announced in November 2023 that she would forgo running for a fourth term in Congress to seek the Democratic nomination for governor in 2025.

It initially appeared that Spanberger would face former Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney in a Democratic primary for governor, but Stoney announced in April 2024 that he was dropping out of the contest for governor and would run for lieutenant governor instead. Rep. Bobby Scott, D-3rd, dean of Virginia’s congressional delegation, hinted for several months that he had not ruled our running for governor but chose not to enter the contest.

Earle-Sears

Earle-Sears would be the first Black woman elected governor of any state.

Born in Jamaica, she is a U.S. Marines veteran who in 2001 became the first Black female Republican elected to the House of Delegates, defeating Del. Billy Robinson, D-Norfolk, a 20-year veteran. She served a single two-year term in the House. In 2004, she ran for Congress and lost to Scott by 38 percentage points.

Earle-Sears made history in 2021 as the first Black woman elected to statewide office in Virginia. She was elected lieutenant governor as part of a GOP sweep in which Virginians elected Glenn Youngkin as governor and Miyares as attorney general.

Earle-Sears announced her run for governor in September 2024. Miyares chose to seek reelection as attorney general.

Youngkin praised Earle-Sears on Saturday afternoon on social media, writing: “Winsome Earle-Sears is the American Dream. Her lifetime of service to God, Family, Country and Commonwealth has prepared her to take the Governor’s mansion this fall and keep Virginia winning.”

Democrats’ slate

Virginia Democrats have certified six lieutenant governor candidates for the primary — state Sens. Ghazala Hashmi, D-Chesterfield, and Aaron Rouse, D-Virginia Beach; Stoney; Prince William County School Board chair Babur Lateef; former federal prosecutor Victor Salgado; and union official Alex Bastani.

Democrats also have confirmed the party’s two candidates for attorney general are Jay Jones, a former member of the House of Delegates from Norfolk, and Henrico County Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor.