Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears and former Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger, a Democrat, have submitted the paperwork necessary to face off in the race to be Virginia’s next governor, and the first woman to hold the seat.
There may be a Republican primary for the executive office in June, however.
Earle-Sears’ campaign filed paperwork to appear on the ballot, and the number of signatures her campaign submitted was verified by the Republican Party of Virginia on March 19. Former State Senator Amanda Chase also filed paperwork to run in the governor’s race by the 5 p.m. deadline on April 3, though the number of signatures Chase submitted had yet to be verified by the party as of 6 p.m. Thursday.
Candidates for governor, lieutenant governor or attorney general must submit 10,000 signatures, including the signatures of at least 400 qualified voters from each Congressional District in the commonwealth, to appear on the ballot, according to state statute. Those signatures are then verified by the state parties.
Spanberger, whose signatures were verified by the Democratic Party of Virginia on March 20, is the only Democrat in the gubernatorial race and will appear on the November ballot.
Former Del. David LaRock, a Republican who was also running for governor, bowed out of the race Thursday. He had collected more than 9,000 signatures, he said in a statement, but was shy of the 10,000 required to make it onto the ballot.
Both parties may hold primaries for lieutenant governor
Both parties may hold June primaries to determine who will be second in command in Virginia’s executive branch.
Six Democratic candidates will appear on the ballot in the June primary, including Alex Bastani, a former employment attorney and labor leader; state Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, D-Chesterfield County; Prince William County School Board Chairman Dr. Babur Lateef; state Senator Aaron Rouse, D-Virginia Beach; Victor Salgado, a federal prosecutor; and former Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney. The signatures submitted by all six candidates had been verified by the Democratic Party of Virginia as of Thursday.
On the Republican side, Pat Herrity had submitted paperwork, and the signatures he collected had been verified by the Republican Party of Virginia prior to Thursday. John Reid, a former radio show host, and John Curran, a Navy veteran, had submitted paperwork, but the signatures they collected had not yet been verified by the party as of Thursday evening.
If the signatures collected by Reid or Curran, or both, meet the threshold necessary to appear on the ballot, a Republican primary for lieutenant governor will be held in June.
Democrats will have a primary for attorney general’s nomination
Attorney General Jason Miyares is seeking a second term in his current role and is the only Republican seeking the seat. He submitted the paperwork and number of signatures necessary to appear on the November ballot.
Two Democrats are challenging him, however, and will face off in a June primary. Former Delegate Jay Jones and Commonwealth’s Attorney of Henrico County Shannon Taylor had both submitted the paperwork and had their signatures verified by the Democratic Party of Virginia to appear on the June primary ballot.
