Supervisor Pat Herrity, long seen as the frontrunner for the Republican Party’s lieutenant governor nomination, is bowing out of the race due to health reasons, he said Monday.
Herrity’s decision comes five weeks after undergoing heart surgery, which required the 65-year-old to take a step back from the campaign trail. Subsequent complications, he says, made the race much harder to run.
“I have come to the realization that my ability to get back to the 150% that I was giving to run a statewide race and that will be necessary to win in November is not possible at the near future … I believe making this decision now is in the best interest of both my health and the ticket,” Herrity wrote on X.
It is with a very heavy heart that today I am announcing the end of my 2025 race for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia. Since my heart surgery on March 13th and the subsequent complications, I have been working hard to regain my strength and return to the campaign trail. As I…
— Pat Herrity (@PatHerrityVA) April 21, 2025
Back in November, Herrity also underwent a “minor surgery” as he mulled over whether to contend for the nomination, he previously told FFXnow.
Since entering the race in January, Herrity has generated substantial financial support. His campaign raised more than $500,000 in the first quarter of 2025 — more than triple that of John Reid, who is the only other candidate who qualified for the race.
Herrity also garnered countless endorsements throughout the state, including from former Fairfax City Councilman and mayoral candidate Sang Yi.
First elected to represent the Springfield District in 2007, Herrity will continue to serve as the lone Republican on the county’s Board of Supervisors. His current term, which he was re-elected to in 2023, ends in 2027.
“I remain committed to serving the residents of Fairfax County as the voice of balance and common sense on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors,” Herrity said.
Herrity’s departure from the race all but solidifies the Republican nomination for John Reid, a Richmond-area radio host and former staffer to ex-U.S. Senator George Allen.
“With Pat’s selfless decision today, our party now gas an early opportunity to unify behind a historic, solidly conservative, reasonable and responsible GOP ticket,” Reid wrote on X.
Virginia’s primary elections are scheduled to be held on June 17. The only races that have yet to determine a nominee, and will do so that day, are for the Democratic nominations for lieutenant governor and attorney general.
