Virginia is about to elect its first woman of colour as lieutenant governor – no matter who wins

Both candidates, Democrat Hala Ayala and Republican Winsome Sears, are women of colour running for an office that until now has only been held by men

Whoever wins Virginia’s race for lieutenant governor, the outcome will be a milestone for the state.

That’s because both major party candidates for the post are women of colour. The Democrat, Hala Ayala, is Afro-Latina, and the Republican, Winsome Sears, is Black. Until now, no woman – or woman of colour – has ever held the office.

“Yes, it’s history,” Ms Sears told The Hill. “But that’s one day – it’s gone. What are you going to do after you’re elected? That’s what we want to know.”

This week, all eyes are on the gubernatorial election in Virginia, where polls show a dead heat between Republican Glenn Youngkin and Democrat Terry McAuliffe. Since August, Mr Youngkin has closed a wide polling gap between himself and Mr McAuliffe, and in recent days has narrowly surpassed him.

The race for lieutenant governor has been less dramatic, but still close. In one recent Washington Post poll, Ms Ayala led Ms Sears 50 to 46 per cent, within the survey’s margin of error.

Apart from their demographics, Ms Sears and Ms Ayala have little in common. Ms Ayala, a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, supports abortion rights, gun control, Covid vaccine mandates, and raising the minimum wage.

Ms Sears, a former House of Delegates member, has said she would support a “heartbeat” bill limiting access to abortion in Virginia, and opposes mask and vaccine requirements.

In fact, the Republican has been cagey about her own vaccination status, insisting that such information is private.

“My life is very public. It’s just the way it is. But I want to hold certain things close,” Ms Sears told CNN last month. “What are we going to ask for now, HIV status? What else are we going to ask for?”

Ms Ayala has fired back that everyone, including her opponent, should get the shot.

“I hope she gets the vaccine if she hasn’t already,” the Democrat told the network. “We need to get vaccinated. We definitely need to follow CDC guidance. And I don’t think this has to do with any politics. This is about public health and safety."

And when it comes to making history, Ms Ayala is more upbeat than her opponent.

“It’s about leading the way for the next generation of leaders. It’s about planting those seeds and those good policies,” Ms Ayala told The Hill. “Having a woman on the ticket? Hell yeah.”