Winsome Sears

Winsome Earle Sears (born March 11, 1964) is an American politician who is the lieutenant governor-elect of Virginia. A Republican, Sears served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from 2002 to 2004 after defeating longtime incumbent Billy Robinson Jr. In September 2018, she entered the race for U.S. Senate as a Republican write-in alternative to Corey Stewart. Sears was the Republican nominee for lieutenant governor in the 2021 election which she won, becoming the first Black woman elected to a statewide office in Virginia.

Sears was born in Kingston, Jamaica and emigrated 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.

Before running for public office, Sears ran a homeless shelter. In November 2001, Sears 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 Black 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.

In September 2018, Sears entered the race for U.S. Senate as a write-in alternative to Republican candidate Corey Stewart. She received less than 1% of the vote. On May 11, 2021, she won the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor of Virginia on the fifth ballot, defeating second-place finisher Tim Hugo, 54%–46%. On November 2, 2021, she won the race for lieutenant governor of Virginia on a ticket with businessman Glenn Youngkin, becoming the first Black woman elected to a statewide office in Virginia.

Sears is married with three children. They live in Winchester, Virginia.