Winsome Sears is a former U.S. Marine, former member of the Virginia General Assembly, and the 2021 Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor. Her views are informed by her service to the Commonwealth and her Country, her faith, and her belief in equal opportunity for all Virginians. Last night she was elected Lieutenant Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia. A legal immigrant from Jamaica, she was the first black woman elected in Virginia to the House of Delegates.
Also on the GOP VA slate was Jason Miyares, who was elected Attorney General, and is the son of a Cuban exile. He becomes the first latino elected in Virginia. Which all strongly repudiates the idea that Republicans are racist or anti-immigrant.
Winsome is a mother, wife and is proud to have served in the United States Marines. She was also a hard-charging Vice President of the Virginia State Board of Education and received presidential appointments to the US Census Bureau (where she co-chaired the African American Committee) and the Advisory Committee on Women Veterans to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
In addition to her Masters degree, Winsome also built a successful business as a trained electrician and understands the importance of helping small businesses thrive. However, Winsome is most proud of her community work leading a men’s prison ministry and as director of a women’s homeless shelter for The Salvation Army.
What a wonderful, humble and inspiring speech from Winsome Sears. God bless America. God bless the American dream. pic.twitter.com/um1jHEMrCl
— Laurence Fox ⚪️ (@LozzaFox) November 3, 2021
In May, Sears derided critical race theory, which along with other education issues became a key topic in the Virginia elections.
“It’s going to be detrimental to our schools and not what we want,” Sears said of critical race theory in an interview on “Fox & Friends,” adding: “It supposedly is to help someone who looks like me and I’m sick of it; I’m sick of being used by the Democrats, and so are many people who look like me.”
In early September, Sears told Newsmax she “would support” a heartbeat law such as Texas’ new law, which bans abortions at about 6 weeks into a pregnancy, when a heartbeat is detectable.
Her campaign later told The Hill: “While Winsome personally supports protecting life and the most vulnerable, as a former legislator herself she also recognizes that Virginia is very different from Texas, and that legislation could never have the votes to pass the Virginia General Assembly.”
Sears will replace Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, a Democrat who is also black.
Her decisive victory comes despite a fundraising disadvantage. As of Oct. 21, Ayala led in fundraising with $6.4 million to Sears’ $2.5 million, according to Ballotpedia.
In 2002, Sears, a former Marine, became the first Republican elected from a majority-black legislative district since 1865. She remains the only black Republican woman to serve in the Virginia House of Delegates.
As lieutenant governor, she will be president of the state Senate.
Sears, 57, is a former vice president of the Virginia Board of Education. She has held posts on advisory boards in federal agencies, co-chaired the African American Committee at the U.S. Census Bureau, and served on a committee of female veterans that advises the secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Sears previously led a prison ministry and was a director of a women’s homeless shelter for the Salvation Army.
Born in Kingston, Jamaica, she is a 1992 graduate of Old Dominion University and completed a master’s degree at Regent University in 2003, writes Fred Lucas of the Daily Signal.