Former Republican Del. Dave LaRock said he is considering a run for governor after a grassroots movement to get him on the ballot began this week. This could set up a potential primary race between him and Lt. Gov. Winsome Sears for the Republican nomination.
“There seems to be a pretty good grassroots push in that direction, and people collecting signatures to that effect,” LaRock said in an interview with Virginia Scope on Wednesday. “That’s probably about as much as I want to say at this point.”
Waverly Woods, a Republican operative, started pushing the effort Wednesday morning, she said.
“Honestly, my phone’s been blowing up,” she said in an interview with Virginia Scope. “I thought [LaRock] was an amazing legislator. He has a great track record, and I’m hoping we can convince him to do it. This is a real grassroots movement, and I’m happy to get people motivated to do it.”
“I literally just started today,” she continued. “I just got engaged in it today. That’s just me. I don’t know how many other people were doing something somewhere else. The scuttle was going around, and I was like, ‘I’m grabbing this bull by the horns.’”
LaRock served in the House of Delegates for ten years before ran for an open state Senate seat in 2023 after redistricting.
He came in second behind Timmy French for the nomination, pausing his career in politics for the time.
Prior to losing in 2023, LaRock experienced some legal trouble following some disputes with a neighbor.
He was charged with four misdemeanors in 2021, including trespassing and destroying a posted sign.
He was found guilty of two misdemeanor charges relating to pulling down a neighbor’s fence. The charges were reduced from criminal to civil and he was forced to pay two $25 fines.
LaRock was also present at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, when Donald Trump supporters stormed the building overpowering law enforcement.
He condemned the violence and entrance into the Capitol but defended the rest of the people in D.C. that day who contested the 2020 election results.
He said in a statement at the time: “Massive crowds in DC were law-abiding, patriotic, mom and pop, young adults pushing baby carriages. They were peaceful protesters who shared distrust in the system that asserts that Joe Biden won, an opinion shared by a growing number of members of Congress.”
Getting on the ballot will be no easy feat for LaRock.
He will need 10,000 signatures from qualified voters, including 400 from each congressional district. The last day to file the paperwork is April 3.
“Virginia has a high threshold for petition signatures to get on the ballot, it requires time and organization,” said Aaron Fritschner, the deputy chief of staff for Rep. Don Beyer, D-VA08. “In practice, this helps distinguish whether a candidacy is noise or action, especially as the deadline nears.”
Woods said she is not worried about the high threshold of signatures required.
“I’ve done this before,” she said. “I’ve totally done this before. And here’s the other thing: he’s well known. It’s not like I’m bringing in an absolute nobody to try and convince them to run for governor.”
Virginia Scope asked LaRock if he would contrast himself against Sears in a campaign.
“Oh, definitely so, but not at this point,” he said. “I am just kind of formulating, putting the fine points on that messaging.”
The Sears campaign welcomed a challenger but said it will not keep her from winning in November.
“Winsome is a proven winner and has quickly built a sweeping coalition of supporters that position her to overwhelmingly win any prospective primary and defeat Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger in November,” Sears campaign spokesperson David Abrams said. “Challengers can enter the race, but the outcome will be the same. Winsome Sears will be the next Governor of Virginia.”
On the Democratic side, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger is the only declared candidate for the gubernatorial nomination.
Rep. Bobby Scott, D-VA03, is considering a run after being pushed by a few members of the party, but the conversation around his potential candidacy has seemed to die down.