The race for Virginia governor is set, teeing up what is expected to be a competitive contest in the blue-leaning swing state. The Virginia GOP announced Saturday that Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, a Marine Corps veteran, will be the Republican Party’s nominee after no other candidate qualified to run. Like all Virginia governors, outgoing Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin is barred from serving back-to-back terms, and he endorsed Earle-Sears as his successor early in the process.

The Republican Party in Virginia confirmed on Saturday that the commonwealth’s lieutenant governor, Winsome Earle-Sears, will be the party’s primary nominee in the 2025 gubernatorial race. The announcement comes after no other GOP candidates qualified to appear on the ballot for the primary election, which will be held on June 17. As of Thursday night, hours after the filing deadline, it was unclear whether former state Sen. Amanda Chase (R), who termed herself “Trump in heels,” would qualify for the ballot. Chase said early Thursday that she filed her paperwork to run but that her team did not have time to count and verify that she had the necessary number of signatures to qualify for the ballot.

The battle to succeed outgoing Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) is set. Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears will compete against former Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger to become the next Virginia governor. The Republican Party of Virginia declared Earle-Sears the nominee Saturday afternoon after former state Sen. Amanda Chase failed to qualify for the June primary ballot by submitting 10,000 valid signatures. “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,” Earle-Sears said in a statement. “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.”