Supervisor Pat HerrityPat Herrity, the current Fairfax County Board Supervisor for the Springfield District and lone Republican on the board, posted a video on social media on Jan. 4 announcing his candidacy for Virginia lieutenant governor. Herrity joins the race with six other contenders. According to vpap.org, one other candidate is a Republican, and the other five are Democrats.
Herrity describes himself as "the liberal board's worst nightmare." Herrity says that not only is he the board's worst nightmare, but he also gets things done.
"I stopped the meals tax that would hurt our businesses and working class families. I funded our brave men and women in law enforcement. I reformed our compensation programs to benefit employees while saving taxpayers money when they wanted to silence parents, close schools and mask our kids, I said, 'Not on my watch.'"
Herrity emphasizes that Virginia has been on the right path by electing Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin in 2021. In 2025, Virginians "must continue the governor's legacy by electing Winsome Sears to the governor's mansion and re-electing Jason Miyares as attorney general, says Herrity.
Article V. Executive, Section 1 of the Constitution of Virginia prevents Youngkin, the 74th governor of Virginia since 2022, from running for the office of governor for a consecutive term. He could take a one-term hiatus, though. Virginia is the sole state in the union that does not allow consecutive gubernatorial terms.
According to the Constitution of Virginia, Article V. Executive Section 14. the Lieutenant Governor's official duties are to serve as President of the Senate and preside over it but have no vote except in the case of an tie. Article V. Executive Section 16 also provides that the Lieutenant Governor is first in the line of succession to Governor.
As for his platform, Herrity says he wants to lower taxes, protect communities, and focus schools. "I'll focus school resources on students and quality teachers, not administrative burdens and political agenda," he says. Herrity says he agrees with Youngkin about repealing the car tax (a local tax) and ending taxes on tips.
On immigration, a hot-button topic, Herrity says that "violent illegal criminals are raiding our communities. … Under my watch, any locality (that) refuses to cooperate with ICE will lose its state funding," echoing Youngkin’s position.
The Commonwealth's lieutenant governor, governor, and attorney general are elected every four years. The 2025 Virginia gubernatorial election will be held on Nov. 4, 2025, and primary elections will occur on June 17, 2025.
Winsome Earle-Sears, elected in 2021, currently holds the constitutional office of lieutenant governor. She announced her campaign for Virginia governor in late November 2024.
John Curran is the only Republican other than Herrity in the race for Lt. Governor, and they would face each other in the primary. Curran lost his bid in the 2023 James City County Supervisor (Berkeley).
The other five candidates are Democrats: Babur B. Lateef, chairman of the Prince William County School Board; Aaron R. Rouse, Virginia Beach, state senator; Victor Salgado (Arlington), federal prosecutor; Levar M. Stoney, former Richmond mayor; and Ghazala F. Hashmi (Chesterfield), state senator.
Herrity is adamant that Republicans can win in November. Still, the party needs "someone who can deliver votes in Northern Virginia. ... I've won here before, and I will do it again as your lieutenant governor," Herrity says.