Herrity is running for lieutenant governor

Fairfax County Supervisor Pat Herrity of Springfield announced on Jan. 3 that he is campaigning for lieutenant governor of Virginia.

The sole Republican on the Board of Supervisors, Herrity calls for “a continuation of the conservative legacy established by Governor Youngkin, Lieutenant Governor Sears, and Attorney General Miyares.”

Sears is running for governor, and Jason Miyares is seeking re-election. Virginia law prohibits governors from running for a second term. The election is Nov. 4, 2025.

On the Democratic side, former U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger has been campaigning for governor since November 2023. A former CIA officer known as a bipartisan consensus builder, Spanberger has represented the Fredericksburg area in the House of Representatives since 2018. Her last day in Congress was Jan. 2.

Five Democrats have announced campaigns for lieutenant governor:

• Ghazala Hashmi, who represents an area south of Richmond in the Virginia Senate;
• Babur Lateef, chair of the Prince William County School Board;
• Aaron Rouse, a member of the state Senate representing Virginia Beach;
• Former Richard Mayor Levar Stoney; and
• Victor Salgado, a former prosecutor in the U.S. Department of Justice.

The primary is June 17. John Curran, a defense contractor, is also running as a Republican for lieutenant governor.

In his campaign announcement, Herrity said, “In Richmond, I will continue to bring about the commonsense, conservative solutions that best serve our communities and our Commonwealth. I will work to lower taxes, support law enforcement, and advocate for our children.”

“I’ll focus education resources on students and quality teachers – not on political agendas,” he said. “I’ll stand up to the progressive prosecutors releasing repeat violent offenders into our neighborhoods, and I’ll penalize localities that refuse to cooperate with ICE to keep our communities safe.”

Herrity was first elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2007, where he’s been a longtime advocate for fiscal restraint. He often casts the lone vote against the Democratic majority. He’s consistently voted against tax increases, opposed a climate resilience plan, opposed legal assistance for immigrants, and supports a ban on panhandling.

His father, Jack Herrity, served as chair of the Board of Supervisors from 1976 to 1988.

Related story: Rep. Spanberger, a candidate for governor, reaches out to all voters