Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears no longer has a lock on the Republican nomination for governor.
Just last week, Republican Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears had the Republican nomination for governor of Virginia on lockdown, and she was ready to cruise into the general election without opposition. Now, this week, two other Republicans are joining the race: former Delegate Dave LaRock and former state Senator Amanda Chase. This could be an indication that Republicans are rethinking the dynamics of this election, says George Mason University professor Jennifer Victor.
"We see Republicans emboldened and feeling quite enthusiastic," Victor explains. "And I think what we're going to wind up seeing is a bit of a tussle between the Republican candidates as to who can most closely align themselves with Donald Trump."
Governor Glenn Youngkin has already endorsed Lieutenant Governor Earle-Sears, although that might not be enough to win in a Republican primary, says Virginia Commonwealth University professor Jatia Wrighten.
"She is still a Black woman, and at the end of the day, as you can see, Trump and the Republican Party are dead set on pushing out people of color, any sort of diverse voices, any sort of diverse thought," Wrighten says. "And Winsome Sears represents that."
The Democrat in the race is former Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger, who might end up benefiting from the Republicans spending all their campaign cash against each other.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radio, was made possible with support from the Virginia Education Association.
