Virginia gubernatorial candidate Dave LaRock argued that Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears is not the right candidate for the Republican Party’s nomination, claiming that she has “rendered herself unelectable” in the months since announcing her candidacy.

LaRock, a former member of Virginia’s House of Delegates, announced his bid for the governor’s mansion at the end of last month, almost six months after Sears became the first Republican lawmaker to enter Virginia’s 2025 gubernatorial race. While LaRock said he supported Sears’s bid initially, he has since joined the race to give Virginia voters an alternative candidate in the primary.