Three’s a Crowd: Virginia’s GOP GOV Primary Gets Even Messier

Republicans don’t believe they can “Win With Winsome”

Bad news comes in threes this week for Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, as Republicans sound the alarm about her candidacy and new primary opponents race to jump into the field.

In a matter of days, the GOP primary field has tripled, with former delegate Dave LaRock launching a campaign for governor earlier this week, and former state senator Amanda Chase announcing last night that she, too, intends to run for governor.

Meanwhile this week, Virginia’s former two-term GOP Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling took to social media to slam Sears’ campaign, writing that she “is not a strong statewide candidate,” and that “if she is the Republican, nominee she will lose.”

This comes after Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign co-manager floated failed perennial candidate Hung Cao as someone who could earn the endorsement of Donald Trump and Elon Musk and win the GOP nomination for governor over Sears.

This week sets up a primary that will be a race to the right, and leave the nominee wildly out of step with what mainstream Virginians want in their next governor.

“Virginia Republicans would rather face a messy primary than line up behind Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears,” said DGA National Press Secretary Devon Cruz. “The candidates all share the same dangerous agenda that voters in the commonwealth have repeatedly rejected, and no matter who ultimately earns the GOP nomination there’s one thing that is certain: they will be too extreme, too out of touch, and totally wrong for Virginia.”