Virginia Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears on Thursday announced she will run to succeed Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin in 2025.

“I could have never believed growing up that I could be asking Virginians for their faith and confidence in me to serve them as governor of our great commonwealth,” the Republican said in her announcement, according to the Washington Post. “Yes, this is an opportunity to make history, but our campaign is about making life better for every Virginian right here, right now.”

Earle-Sears, a former U.S. Marine who served in the Virginia House of Delegates from 2002-2004, in 2021 became the first woman elected Virginia’s lieutenant governor. Youngkin and Republican Attorney General Jason Miyares also won their respective races that year.

Activists have criticized Earle-Sears for her opposition to LGBTQ rights in Virginia.

Earle-Sears in 2023 spoke at the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Md. She sparked criticism in February when she misgendered state Sen. Danica Roem (D-Manassas) on the Virginia Senate floor.

Roem in 2018 became the first transgender person seated in a state legislature in the country when she assumed her seat in the House of Delegates. Voters in the 30th Senate District last November elected Roem to the state Senate, thus becoming the first trans person to be seated in the chamber.

The Washington Post reported Miyares is likely to run against Earle-Sears in the Republican primary. The winner would likely face U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.), who is the only Democrat who has thus far declared themselves a gubernatorial candidate.

Earle-Sears would become Virginia’s first female governor if she wins. She would also become the first Black woman elected governor of any state.

A gay couple from Virginia died on July 22 when their small plane crashed shortly after it took off from an airport on New York’s Long Island.

The Associated Press reported Christopher Kucera, 46, of Fredericksburg and Zachary Hatcher, 43, of King George, died when their single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza A36 crashed around 6:15 p.m. shortly after it took off from MacArthur Airport in Suffolk County.

The AP noted the Suffolk County Police Department in a press release said Kucera was piloting the plane. It crashed as Kucera tried to return it to the runway.

The Fredericksburg Free Press reported Hatcher was to become the new CEO of the Community Foundation of the Rappahannock River Region, a Fredericksburg-based philanthropic organization, on Aug. 5. The newspaper said Kucera was an air and space engineer and an experienced pilot.

NBC New York reported Kucera and Hatcher were visiting friends on Long Island before the crash.

 “They were dear friends and integral to our community,” said the Community Foundation in a statement.

Mike Kucera told the Fredericksburg Free Press his brother “died doing what he loved most and with the man he loved most. We are grateful for that.” 

“Considering the loss of power so soon after takeoff, Chris is a hero for avoiding casualties on the ground,” added Mike Kucera. 

Republican Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin has appointed Meg Bryce, the daughter of the late U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, to the Virginia Board of Education.

Bryce in 2023 ran for the Albemarle County School Board, and lost.

Her critics note she has ties to Moms for Liberty, a group founded in 2021 that fights the “woke agenda” and supports the ban of “dangerous” books from school libraries. State Del. Katrina Callsen (D-Albemarle County) described Bryce as “a failed Moms for Liberty candidate,” while state Sen. Schuyler VanValkenburg (D-Henrico County) said she “spent a year running for school board embroiled in culture wars.”

You know what's easier to win than an Albemarle County School Board seat? An unearned appointment to the State Board of Education from Gov. Youngkin.

Today starts Meg Bryce's term on the Board and while I'm disappointed, I am not shocked that the Governor would rather appoint a… pic.twitter.com/QsK2drgHHU

— Delegate Katrina Callsen (@DelegateCallsen) July 24, 2024

Now, instead of reappointing a board member w/ bipartisan support and a long career in public education, the Gov has appointed someone w/ no credentials who spent a year running for School Board embroiled in culture wars.

This is politics over kids. 4/4 https://t.co/4tKvBFgaad

— Schuyler VanValkenburg (@ScVanValkenburg) July 24, 2024

“Her extensive background in education, her advocacy for student-centered policies, and her commitment to restoring common sense in education for all Virginia students will be instrumental in ensuring that every parent, student, and teacher receives the essential resources and support needed to thrive,” Youngkin spokesperson Christian Martinez said in a statement.