Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears filed to run for the Republican nomination for governor in September, leaving her current seat open in 2025.
While the official role of the lieutenant governor is to preside over the state Senate and vote to break ties, it has high political value as a stepping stone to the executive mansion: former governors Ralph Northam, Tim Kaine, Doug Wilder and Chuck Robb all held the office before getting the promotion.
In 2021, Earle-Sears beat out former Del. Hala Ayala for the office. Earle-Sears won her nomination after winning a nominating convention with ranked choice voting. In early polling, Ayala trailed Del. Sam Rasoul, seen as the progressive candidate in the race. She was then endorsed and financially backed by former Gov. Terry McAuliffe — who was running for another term after four years out of the state’s top office.
So far, four Democrats have declared their candidacy and one Republican has expressed strong interest in a run for their party’s nomination.
Prospective candidates who have announced will be added to this alphabetical list once they either:
- publicly announce their candidacy
- file the necessary paperwork with the state Department of Elections
When available, links to candidate websites and platforms will be included.
The list below will be updated as new information becomes available.
Democrats
State Sen. Ghazala Hashmi
Hashmi has represented Chesterfield County since 2020, when she flipped a Republican district that helped Democrats gain control of the Senate. Hashmi, an immigrant and Virginia’s first Muslim state senator, was previously an English literature professor.
She’s currently the head of the Senate Education and Health committee and sponsored legislation to create a right to contraception in Virginia, which Gov. Glenn Youngkin later vetoed.
Hashmi announced her candidacy in May, calling herself a “progressive champion” and emphasizing access to reproductive health in her platform.
Babur Lateef
Lateef was the first candidate from either party to enter the race, announcing his run in December 2023. Lateef, the chair of the Prince William County School Board, lives in Manassas and has an ophthalmology practice in Woodbridge. He has also served as chairman of the University of Virginia Health System Board.
Lateef is the only candidate from the most Democratic part of the state, Northern Virginia, where much of the primary votes are located.
State Sen. Aaron Rouse
Rouse represents Virginia Beach, where he runs a nonprofit for children in underserved communities. A former Virginia Beach city councilor and NFL player, he announced his candidacy in April — the same day as Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney.
Rouse is the chair of the Privileges and Elections committee despite being elected in 2023 in a special election. That election solidified Democrats’ control of the Senate and their ability to block legislation restricting abortion. He sponsored a proposal to set up a marijuana retail market in the commonwealth, which Youngkin later vetoed.
Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney
Stoney initially declared he would seek the Democratic nomination for governor, but announced in April that he was withdrawing from that race to run for lieutenant governor instead. Richmond has changed significantly since Stoney took office in 2017: Poverty has been reduced, economic migration to the city has raised incomes and housing prices, and Confederate monuments have been removed.
Stoney was the first Black secretary of the commonwealth under McAuliffe, whose daughter is the mayor’s campaign political director. McAuliffe has endorsed both Stoney and Lateef; many political figures in Virginia who had endorsed Stoney for governor had already made endorsements for lieutenant governor.
Republicans
John Reid
Reid, a conservative radio host in Richmond, is also considering a run following a “listening tour” of the state. His morning program, Richmond Morning News, is one of the most listened-to radio programs in the state and regularly hosts politicians; he announced he was exploring a run in March, and set up a company for a listening tour later that month.
Though he is not officially announced a bid, Reid has issued statements on Democratic candidates in the race.
Reid worked in communications for former Republican U.S. Sen. George Allen, as well as for international nongovernmental organizations. If elected, Reid — whose father was a Republican delegate from Henrico County — would be the state’s first openly gay statewide official.
