RICHMOND, Va. -- Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears (R - Virginia) has filed paperwork with the Virginia State Board of Elections to run for governor in 2025.
Earle-Sears, 60, has a rally scheduled Thursday night in Virginia Beach where it's expected she will publicly announce her political plans.
Earle-Sears made history in 2022 when she became the first Black woman to hold statewide office in Virginia.
If elected governor, she would become the first woman and second person of color in Virginia to lead the Commonwealth.
Earle-Sears, a Marine veteran, immigrated to the United States from Jamaica as a child.
Virginia political watchers have long expected Earle-Sears to announce her candidacy where she might have competition for the nomination.
"It is certainly looking like we may have a contest for the GOP nomination between Lieutenant Governor [Earle-Sears] and Attorney General [Jason] Miyares," CBS 6 political analyst Dr. Bob Holsworth told CBS 6. "Sears’ popularity with the Republican base will make her a formidable contender for the nomination."
Miyares' team deflected questions about his political future.
"Our nation cannot afford four more years of the failed policies of Biden and Harris. My focus right now is on November 2024 and electing as many Republicans in Virginia as we can," Miyares said in a statement to CBS 6. "It is clear that we cannot allow the Democrats to seize complete control of power in Washington or in Richmond. We all need to be focused on this November's elections before even thinking about next year."
WATCH: Winsome Earle-Sears will be ‘formidable contender’ for GOP nomination in Virginia governor’s race, political expert says
In November 2023, U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanbergerannounced she would run for Virginia governor in 2025 as a Democratic instead of seeking reelection to the U.S. House.
Spanberger, 45, is a former CIA officer and law enforcement officer for the U.S. Postal Service. The three-term Democrat grew up in western Henrico where she first won the 7th House District congressional race in 2018.
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