There will be no primaries for the Virginia governor’s race this year. Abigail Spanberger became the only Democrat to meet the deadline over the weekend and file with the needed amount of signatures. On the Republican side, we had one candidate bow out after failing to meet the 10,000 signature requirement, one declare victory and a third who submitted paperwork but has now been told they also fell short. 

Dave LaRock, former 33rd District Representative in the House of Delegates, was the one to bow out. In a statement sent to The Herald and other media, LaRock said his campaign collected over 9,000 signatures, but fell short of the required amount. 

“The current Governor jumping in early to designate his successor did not make it easy for us to give the Republican voters a real choice in the primary — but we came close,” LaRock said, referring to Gov. Youngkin’s endorsement of current Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears. LaRock thanked his supporters for collecting signatures and urged Republicans to help Virginia shift away from such a heavy reliance on federal funds. 

“The Commonwealth of Virginia faces some complex challenges,” LaRock said. “Virginia has heavily relied on federal government spending and employment to fuel our economy, but much of that was done with borrowed money, and simply cannot continue.  It excites me to see the Trump Administration’s commitment to efficiency and commonsense values.  This moment should be embraced, as it creates a unique opportunity for Virginia.” 

Meanwhile, Amanda Chase is also out of the race for the Republican nomination. Chase, a former Virginia State Senator who has previously run for the Republican nomination for governor, said she met the requirement, paid the fee and submitted on time. 

“To be honest, this morning we weren’t sure if we would get across the finish line,” Chase said in a statement to supporters. “It’s been a scramble to say the least. We’ve tried hard to keep the faith, but we knew with entering the race 5 weeks before the deadline, time was not on our side. I truly believed that if I was supposed to be on the ballot, God would make a way. Then, the Fed Ex envelopes started arriving just as we were ready to head out the door.” 

Republican officials said she fell significantly short of the amount needed. Specifically, Chase was roughly 400 short in each Congressional District. It turns out she didn’t verify those Fed Ex envelopes mentioned above. 

“We thought we had submitted close to the required 10,000 signatures, with the incredible number of Fed Ex envelopes that came in within hours of the deadline, but we did not have time to verify the signatures,” Chase said. 

Chase said she plans to spend the next three years traveling the Commonwealth, “getting to know the needs of each region,” so she can run again in the next governor’s race. 

Earle-Sears claims the nomination 

The campaign for Winsome Earle-Sears has declared her as the official Republican nominee in the governor’s race, with no opposition from the state committee. In their statement to The Herald and other media, the campaign pointed out this would be a first, two women competing to be Virginia’s first woman governor. 

“I am deeply grateful for the support of the tens of thousands of Virginians who worked to earn our campaign’s place on the ballot this fall,” said Earle-Sears. “The stakes in this race couldn’t be higher – we must continue our work to protect the Commonwealth from radical changes that would undo the progress we’ve made in restoring prosperity to Virginia. I will never stop fighting to make life more affordable, our schools stronger, and our communities safer. We’ve delivered important progress over the past four years, and we still have so much more to do. I am honored to serve as the Republican nominee in this race and will deliver a victory for every Virginian this fall.”

Spanberger stands alone 

On the Democratic side, it’s much easier to announce a nominee, as Spanberger was the only candidate to file and meet the 10,000 signature barrier. In a statement sent out to media, Spanberger outlined her priorities if elected to the position. 

“Virginia is my home — it’s where I grew up, and it’s where my husband and I are raising our three daughters,” Spanberger wrote. “Virginians across the Commonwealth are telling me the issues they want their leaders to address, and I share their priorities — strengthening our public schools, making Virginia a more affordable place to live, defending our fundamental rights, keeping our communities safe, protecting Virginians’ jobs, strengthening our economy, and standing up to the chaos in Washington that is putting Virginians’ livelihoods at risk.

I’m running for Governor because I will work tirelessly to deliver for all Virginians on these priorities.”

What happens next? 

So there will be no primary for governor in Virginia, as both parties have chosen their nominee. This June, it’ll just be primaries on both sides for lieutenant governor instead.