By: Staff Writer
November 5, 2021
Republican Winsome Sears has been elected as Virginia’s next lieutenant governor, securing a narrow victory over Democrat Hala Ayala to become the first woman to hold the office and first woman of colour to win state-wide office in the commonwealth on November 2.
Ms Sears was born in Kingston, Jamaica and immigrated to the United States at the age of six. She grew up in The Bronx, New York City. She served as an electrician in the United States Marines. Sears earned an A.A. from Tidewater Community College, a B.A. in English with a minor in economics from Old Dominion University and an M.A. in organizational leadership from Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Having lived a very vibrant life filled with service, she not only served as a US Marine but also ran a homeless shelter before running for office.
Not a stranger to politics, her Wikipedia entry says in November 2001, she upset 20-year Democratic incumbent William P. “Billy” Robinson, Jr. while running for the 90th district seat in Virginia’s House of Delegates. Sears was the first Jamaican female Republican, first female veteran, and the first naturalized citizen delegate, to serve in the House of Delegates.
She challenged Democrat Bobby Scott in 2004 for Virginia’s 3rd congressional district seat, but lost, garnering 31 percent of the vote.She was vice president of the Virginia Board of Education and has received presidential appointments to the Department of Veterans Affairs and the U.S. Census Bureau.
The election against Ayala was a turning point in American politics as it was seen as a test on President Joe Biden’s popularity and a referendum on left-leaning politics.
Sears, a staunch black conservative, challenged the status quo and defied odds in a racially charged environment in American politics. She stands out as not only being a Black republican, but a minority female republican who is also an immigrant by birth.
Sears won with 50.7% of the vote to Ayala’s 49.3%. Sears, as a former state delegate, will preside over the state Senate as lieutenant governor.
As president of the 40-member chamber, Sears will be tasked with breaking tied votes when lawmakers are locked on a measure.
“I’m here because of you. I’m here because you voted for me. I’m here because you put your trust in me,” Sears told a crowd of supporters at Glenn Youngkin’s victory party in Chantilly. “That’s the only reason I’m here.”
Sears also aims to push for a Black Virginians advisory cabinet to the governor if elected and has called for a once-in-a-generation investment in Historically Black Colleges & Universities, according to Sears’ campaign website.
In a statement after the race was called, Ayala noted Sears’ historic victory but told supporters “this is just the beginning.” Ayala, who identifies as Afro-Latina, Lebanese and Irish, would have also made history as the first woman to hold the office and as first woman of colour to win state-wide in Virginia.