Attorney General Jason Miyares and Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears are the two names being circulated in Republican circles as potential candidates for governor in 2025. Neither has stated their intentions officially.
Miyares declined to answer whether he has decided to run for governor during a Tuesday afternoon virtual event with Virginia FREE.
When asked if he has decided, Miyares simply said, “No.”
After a brief pause, he continued to say that he is focused on the 2024 federal elections but to “stay tuned post-November.”
Chris Saxman, the event’s host, then implied that by Miyares saying “post-November” he is hinting at something.
“No, I am not,” Miyares responded. “My focus is on getting some pro-growth, pro-business individuals elected both in the Senate and Congress. And we’ll make a decision at the appropriate time. Now is not the appropriate time.”
So far, no Republicans have declared their intention for any of the statewide offices on the ballot in 2025.
Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-VA07, is the only Democrat seeking the gubernatorial nomination.
Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney was also seeking the Democratic nomination, but he dropped down in April to run for the lieutenant governor nomination instead.
The 2024 presidential race will likely impact the 2025 gubernatorial race in Virginia. Historically, Virginia has almost always elected a governor from the opposite party of the president.
The only exception in recent election cycles was Terry McAuliffe in 2013 when he ran against far-right Republican nominee Ken Cuccinelli.