Winsome Earle-Sears

Winsome Earle-Sears (born March 11, 1964) is a Jamaican–American politician and businesswoman who served as the 42nd lieutenant governor of Virginia from 2022 to 2026. A member of the Republican Party, she is Virginia's first female lieutenant governor and is the first woman of color to be elected to a statewide office in Virginia. Born in Jamaica, Earle-Sears immigrated to the United States in 1970. She served in the U . Marine Corps from 1983 to 1986. Earle-Sears represented the 90th district in the Virginia House of Delegates from 2002 to 2004. She ran for Virginia's 3rd congressional district in 2004, losing to Democratic incumbent Bobby Scott. She then owned and operated a small business until it closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Earle-Sears was a member of the Virginia State Board of Education from 2011 to 2015, serving as vice president of the board from 2014 to 2015. In 2018, she unsuccessfully ran for U . Senate as a write-in candidate. In 2021, Earle-Sears was elected lieutenant governor of Virginia, narrowly defeating Democratic nominee Hala Ayala. During her term as lieutenant governor, Earle-Sears became the Republican nominee in the 2025 Virginia gubernatorial election. She was defeated by former U . representative and Democratic nominee Abigail Spanberger.