VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — In front of a crowd at Chick's Oyster Bar in Virginia Beach, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears (R - Virginia) kicked off her gubernatorial campaign Thursday night.
Earle-Sears, 60, made history in 2022 when she became the first Black woman to hold statewide office in Virginia. If elected governor, she would become the first woman and second person of color in Virginia to lead the Commonwealth.
Speaking for about an hour, Earle-Sears talked about her personal life as Marine veteran who immigrated to the United States from Jamaica as a child.
She then pivoted to policy.
"Extreme leftist policies have led some states down a path of decline…taxes, reckless spending leave families unable to afford the things they need," she said.
Bipartisan initiatives like the fight against drugs also had a place in her speech.
"Folks are living in fear...lethal drugs are ravaging our generation," she said.
At Chick's Oyster Bar, voters say Earle-Sears has their support.
"She's focused on the American dream," one voter told New 3's Jay Greene. "If you can't make here, you can't make it anywhere."
News 3 spoke with a local Republican named Pam Brown, who is secretary of the Republican Party of Norfolk.
Brown says she's waiting to see who all of the Republican candidates before deciding who to support.
"Honestly most of us are not ready to get into 2025 just because we're trying to finish the presidential race," said Brown. "We're very lucky because we have such a deep bench and the fact that Winsome's part of that bench is a great thing."
"It is certainly looking like we may have a contest for the GOP nomination between Lieutenant Governor [Earle-Sears] and Attorney General [Jason] Miyares," CBS 6 political analyst Dr. Bob Holsworth said. "Sears’ popularity with the Republican base will make her a formidable contender for the nomination."
Miyares' team deflected questions about his political future.
"Our nation cannot afford four more years of the failed policies of Biden and Harris. My focus right now is on November 2024 and electing as many Republicans in Virginia as we can," Miyares said in a statement to CBS 6. "It is clear that we cannot allow the Democrats to seize complete control of power in Washington or in Richmond. We all need to be focused on this November's elections before even thinking about next year."
Watch: Winsome Earle-Sears sworn in as Virginia Lieutenant Governor
In November 2023, U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanbergerannounced she would run for Virginia governor in 2025 as a Democratic instead of seeking reelection to the U.S. House.
Spanberger, 45, is a former CIA officer and law enforcement officer for the U.S. Postal Service.
In a statement, a spokesperson for her campaign said, "Momentum is on her side."
The Democratic Party of Virginia released the following statement Thursday:
"Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears has dedicated more time to boosting her far-right profile as an extremist on Newsmax and Fox News than actually addressing the needs of hard-working Virginians. If elected governor, she’d unleash her radical agenda: outlawing abortions, rolling back gun safety measures, dismantling LGBTQ+ rights, gutting healthcare for millions, and slashing funding for public schools. Her vision for Virginia? A divisive, toxic leadership that hurts the middle-class and tears us apart instead of bringing us together."
