RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Who will be the Republican nominee for Virginia’s next governor?
For months it seemed to be Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears.
However, with two new candidates making a late entry into the race, it seems that the result could now be up in the air.
“It’s kind of wild last-minute stuff,” said Randolph-Macon Political Science Professor Rich Meagher.
Former North Virginia Delegate Dave LaRock has officially filed the necessary paperwork to challenge Sears for the Republican nomination. His campaign website says one of his top priorities is creating a Virginia Department of Government Efficiency.
Former Chesterfield County Senator Amanda Chase told 8News Thursday that she was in the process of filing her campaign paperwork, but said in an email to supporters that Virginia needs a “Trump in heels.”
Meagher said both Chase and LaRock are trying to cast themselves as more loyal to President Donald Trump than Sears who he said was late to embrace Trump.
“There was a period of time a couple of years ago where she criticized Trump as opposed to Dave LaRock or Amanda Chase, who were sort of in on him from the start, so all of those suggest an opening for some other candidate,” Meagher said.
Despite that, Meagher said Sears remains the favorite to face likely Democratic nominee former Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger.
“She is a real red-meat Republican. She really is a true believer and Republicans do like her particularly when they meet with her in small groups and one-on-one,” Meagher said.
In a statement, the Sears campaign said, “Winsome is a winner, plain and simple. She has an extraordinary personal story and a long record of fighting for and delivering common-sense conservative policies that make life in Virginia better. That’s why the groundswell of support for her campaign has grown too big to beat in any prospective primary, and it’s how she’ll deliver a win for Republicans in November.”
Like all candidates for governor, both Chase and LaRock must get at least 10,000 signatures from qualified voters in Virginia, including at least 400 in each of Virginia’s 11 congressional districts by April 3 to appear on the primary ballot in June.
