VIRGINIA, USA — The stage is set for a historic showdown in Virginia politics. For the first time in the Commonwealth’s history, the next governor is almost certainly to be a woman. Republican Lt.

Virginia and New Jersey are the only states with governor’s races this year ... where the bulk of voters live, per an elections analysis by the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia.

The Virginia governor’s race is now set after a candidate who often called herself “Trump in heels” as well as a former state delegate did not qualify for the ballot. Republican Lt.

The Republican Party in Virginia confirmed on Saturday that the commonwealth’s lieutenant governor, Winsome Earle-Sears, will be the party’s primary nominee in the 2025 gubernatorial race.

“While the Virginia Senate isn’t on the ballot this year, the DLCC is now unveiling an addition to the Target Map: the Lieutenant Governor’s race,” the memo reads. “This race will be ...