Today’s Sponsor: “Skill” games prey on Virginia’s hardest-working residents, disproportionately targeting poor and minority communities. These machines drain household incomes, exploit vulnerable populations, and bring crime and addiction into our neighborhoods. Learn more here.
The fields are starting to shape up for Virginia’s statewide races later this year. So far, seven Democrats and three Republicans are running for lieutenant governor.
The three Republicans who are seeking the nomination have not been elected to any state-level office.
One is a talk-radio host, one is a member of the Fairfax Board of Supervisors and one is a defense consultant.
John Reid, the prolific WRVA conservative talk show host with plenty of experience in Republican politics, launched his campaign Monday morning while also stepping down from his talk show.
He worked as communications director for United States Senator George Allen and began his political career as an intern and staff assistant under President Ronald Reagan after he left office.
His father represented Henrico County in the House of Delegates for 18 years.
“Virginians spoke loud and clear in our last governor’s race: we want real principled leadership, not woke social experimentation and radical agendas,” Reid said in his announcement.. “I have spent my entire life and career- in public and behind the scenes- serving and advancing conservative values. I am running to help continue what Governor Youngkin started, and to help elect Winsome Sears and re-elect Jason Miyares and to serve as a voice for all Virginians.”
His priorities are:
- “Prioritize first-class learning in education, free from leftist indoctrination. His focus is on ensuring that our educational system imparts knowledge and critical thinking skills, not political bias, preparing students for success in a diverse world instead of creating radical activists.”
- “Safeguarding and gaining knowledge from our heritage, rather than obliterating it. He appreciates the significance of our history and will always advocate for conserving our cultural landmarks and enlightening future generations about the foundation of our nation. We can learn from both the positive and negative aspects of our past, but unless we examine where we have come from, we will never be able to see where we need to go with the clarity we should have.”
- “Prioritizing public safety, not defunding it. Believing in the essential role of law enforcement, he supports policies that strengthen our police forces and community relationships to maintain peace and security. We need to arrest and prosecute rioters and looters, and reinvest more into our law enforcement communities to attract, train, and retain the best officers for our communities.”
Pat Herrity, the lone conservative on the Fairfax Board of Supervisors, launched his campaign last year.
He has worked as an accountant and chief financial officer in the private sector.
He was first elected as a Faifax supervisor in 2007 and remains on the board today as the only Republican.
“In 2021, we put Virginia on the right track by electing Governor Youngkin,” Herrity said in his announcement. “In 2025, it is crucial that we continue that path by electing Winsome Sears to the governor’s mansion, re-electing Jason Miyares as our attorney general, and electing a strong leader to be the next lieutenant governor.”
His campaign priorities are to:
- “Reduce the financial burden of every-day necessities like gas, energy and groceries through sound fiscal policy and economic deregulation.”
- “Defend the lives of the unborn and oppose the Democrats’ radical agenda of abortion up to the moment of birth. Support prevention measures and adoption as alternatives to abortion.”
- “Defend the 2nd Amendment in Virginia and preserve the right of law-abiding gun-owners to keep and bear arms.”
- “Reduce traffic congestion across the Commonwealth including widening I-81 and I-64. Reduce the project cost and timeline of transportation projects by right sizing solutions and reducing the regulatory burden.”
John Curran Jr., a Navy vet, has filed paperwork to run for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor next year.
He founded his own consulting business where he provided direct consulting services that included support and consultation to multiple presidential administrations including President Clinton’s Welfare to Work Program, President Bush’s post 9/11 Committee, President Obama’s Gang and Drug Warfare Committee, and testified as a subject matter expert during the Trump Administration’s exploration with Alternative Energy infrastructure and Veterans Choice program.
Curran ran for James City Board of Supervisors in 2023 and lost by 30 points.
His campaign website says he wants to “bring back common sense, accountability and values to the Commonwealth.”
“We will start by bringing Freedom and Liberty back and reduce Government involvement and control in our daily lives,” his website says. “Make Family values and Religious freedoms key pillars in our society.”
He raised $645 in 2024, but loaned his campaign $1 million.
His priorities are:
- “Protect the lives of unborn babies, not by controlling what a mother can or cannot do, but by providing her with options and support. Rebuild our adoption systems, working with State agencies and community based groups to provide support for the mother and families, as well as insuring access to medical care and child care as well as protecting the rights of fathers.”
- “Attract public service professionals to Virginia, such as Teachers, Nurses, Police, Fire and Military, by eliminating State Income Tax on all those who chose to support the public who Net $75,000 a year or less,” his website says.