Virginia’s conservative Black female lieutenant governor wants the top job

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, the first Black woman to hold statewide office in Virginia’s long history, has officially set her sights on the state’s top political office. The Virginia Department of Elections on Wednesday accepted the necessary documents for Earle-Sears to run for governor next year. Earle-Sears is the first Republican to officially enter the race for the party’s nomination in 2025. U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger is the only Democrat currently seeking her party’s nomination. Earle-Sears was part of a Republican sweep of top offices in 2021. A Marine veteran who immigrated to the United States from Jamaica as a child, Earle-Sears defeated Democrat Hala Ayala to become only the second woman ever to hold a statewide office in Virginia.