Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears is poised to make history as the first Black woman to serve as governor of any U.S. state. This potential achievement follows her official campaign launch for the governorship of Virginia.
Earle-Sears currently holds the distinction of being the first Black woman to hold statewide office in Virginia’s history. However, she now has her sights set on the state’s highest political office.
On Wednesday, the Virginia Department of Elections accepted the necessary documents for Earle-Sears to run for governor in 2025, according to a report from WRIC.
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Her campaign launch came shortly after she revealed she was exploring a gubernatorial bid. As of now, Earle-Sears is the first Republican to officially enter the race for the party’s nomination in 2025.
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Due to Virginia’s law prohibiting governors from serving consecutive terms, current Governor Glenn Youngkin, also a Republican, cannot run for re-election.
On the Democratic side, U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger is currently the only candidate seeking her party’s nomination for governor.
Earle-Sears was part of the Republican sweep of Virginia’s top offices in 2021, alongside Governor Youngkin and Attorney General Jason Miyares.
A Marine veteran who immigrated to the United States from Jamaica as a child, Earle-Sears defeated Democrat Hala Ayala to become the second woman in Virginia’s history to hold a statewide office. The first was Attorney General Mary Sue Terry, elected in 1985.
A staunch conservative known for speaking openly about her Christian faith, Earle-Sears has already broken barriers as a woman in politics.
Her political career began in 2001 when she surprised both parties by defeating a 10-term Democratic incumbent in a heavily blue district, becoming the first Black Republican woman elected to the House of Delegates.
She served only one term before choosing not to seek re-election. She also unsuccessfully challenged U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott in what The Associated Press described at the time as “a campaign of raw invective.”
Earle-Sears has since served on the State Board of Education and more recently as the national chair of an organization dedicated to re-electing former President Donald Trump. Additionally, she has led a men’s prison ministry, served as director of a women’s homeless shelter, and run a plumbing and electrical supply company.
