A former Virginia lawmaker might be shaking up the state’s race for governor as he works to get on the ballot to challenge the candidate who has already been endorsed by Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin.
“I was approached by many conservatives from across the state who see the need for, perhaps, a different candidate,” said Dave LaRock, a Republican who served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates for 10 years. “I’m very honored they would reach out to me and encourage me to run.”
LaRock has supporters across Virginia gathering signatures. He will need at least 10,000 of them.
“I think we’re going to do that, then it’ll be in the hands of Republican voters,” LaRock said.
In an interview with WTOP, LaRock said he wants to force a primary against Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, who Youngkin is backing.
“I certainly respect the governor, but I’ve never believed in top-down or hand-picked appointees,” LaRock said. “Clearly, the decision belongs to primary voters, and I think that we’re all stronger as a party when we have competition.”
When asked why he didn’t think Earle-Sears was the best choice for Republicans, he cited “defects as a candidate.”
“I know Winsome, I like Winsome, but decisions that she’s made very publicly, I think will make it very difficult for her to unite the base that any candidate would need to be successful in running for this office,” LaRock said, hinting at negative comments Earle-Sears has made in the past about President Donald Trump.
In 2022, Earle-Sears said she was not willing to support Trump’s candidacy for president, calling him a “liability” and saying that “it is time to move on.”
More recently, however, she has been publicly supportive of Trump.
LaRock, in talking about his desire to run for governor, cited his “experience in the legislature” as well as his “consistent support of Trump from 2016 forward.”
In 2021, LaRock faced criticism for participating in the Jan. 6 rally hosted by Trump that happened directly before the Capitol riot broke out.
LaRock condemned those who forced their way into the Capitol but said the “massive crowds in D.C. 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.”
In 2023, LaRock left his seat in the House of Delegates and ran for a seat in the Virginia Senate, but lost in a Republican primary.
In a statement to WTOP, the Earle-Sears campaign called her “a proven winner and has quickly built a sweeping coalition of supporters that position her to overwhelmingly win any prospective primary.”
“Challengers can enter the race, but the outcome will be the same,” the statement read. “Winsome Sears will be the next Governor of Virginia.”
Bob Holsworth, a Virginia political analyst, called LaRock’s chances a “long shot.”
“There’s some interest in, perhaps, a challenge to Winsome Earle-Sears, but this is really an 11th hour effort,” Holsworth said. “It’s awfully late, and LaRock really doesn’t have tremendous visibility around the state.”
The Republican nominee in the race is widely expected to face former U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, who is so far the only candidate seeking the Democratic nomination.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
