Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears has filed paperwork to be Virginia’s next governor.
Why it matters: She’s the first Republican to enter the race.
Driving the news: The Virginia Department of Elections accepted the paperwork, first reported by WRIC, on Wednesday.
- This clears the path for Earle-Sears, a Marine veteran who emigrated from Jamaica as a kid, to launch her campaign.
The big picture: With Mayor Stoney dropping out earlier this year, the 2025 matchup for Virginia governor so far is Earle-Sears against Rep. Abigail Spanberger, who announced a run last November.
- That sets up this race to be historic, since Virginia has never had a woman as governor.
- If Earle-Sears won, she would be the nation’s first Black woman governor.
- In 2021, she became the first Black woman elected to statewide office in Virginia after defeating Democrat Hala Ayala in the general election.