UP BY AS MUCH AS 40% STAYING IN THE COMMONWEALTH. TONIGHT, AN HISTORIC MATCHUP COULD BE SHAPING UP IN THE RACE FOR GOVERNOR IN THE NEXT HOUR. REPUBLICAN LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR WINSOME EARL SEARS IS SET TO ANNOUNCE THAT SHE IS RUNNING FOR GOVERNOR. TOM FITZGERALD IS LIVE TONIGHT IN ARLINGTON. FITZ. YOU KNOW, VIRGINIA HAS THIS WHOLE ONE TERM AND DONE THING. SO THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR HAS BEEN KIND OF SIGNALING THAT SHE'S BEEN LOOKING AT THIS FOR A WHILE. >> YEAH, YOU'RE RIGHT ABOUT THAT, JIM. >> YOU KNOW, JUST BEING A LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR IS OFTEN A TOUGH JOB IN RESPECT THAT YOU GET OVERSHADOWED BY THE ACTUAL GOVERNMENT, BUT WINSOME SEARS HAS MANAGED TO OVERCOME THAT. >> IN FACT, HAS BECOME A SOUGHT AFTER CONSERVATIVE VOICE FOR CONSERVATIVES AND REPUBLICANS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. TONIGHT, SHE APPEARS POISED TO STEP OUT ON HER OWN AND AN EVEN BIGGER WAY, OFFICIALLY DECLARING HER CANDIDACY FOR GOVERNOR OF VIRGINIA IN 2025. NOW, WINSOME SEARS WAS ELECTED BACK IN 2021 ALONG WITH VIRGINIA GOVERNOR GLENN YOUNGKIN. REMEMBER YOUNGKIN? UNDER VIRGINIA LAW, CAN ONLY SERVE ONE TERM AT A TIME. NOT BACK TO BACK TERMS. IN ADDITION TO BEING THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR, SHE IS THE FIRST WOMAN TO EVER HOLD THAT POSITION AND THE FIRST WOMAN OF COLOR EVER TO HOLD THAT POSITION. SHE PREVIOUSLY SERVED IN THE VIRGINIA GENERAL ASSEMBLY, AND ALSO IS A U.S. MARINE WHO SERVED IN THE COURT. NOW, KYLE KONDIK FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA CENTER FOR POLITICS, SAYS WITH HER LONG RESUME AND LONG TIME THAT SHE SERVED IN POLITICS IN VIRGINIA, SHE ALSO REPRESENTS SOMETHING NEW IN VIRGINIA POLITICS, ESPECIALLY FOR REPUBLICANS. >> I THINK THE REPUBLICAN PARTY IS GETTING A LITTLE MORE DIVERSE, PARTICULARLY IN SOME OF ITS OFFICEHOLDERS. >> AND I DO THINK THE PARTY HAS SOUGHT TO ELEVATE PEOPLE WHO BASICALLY ARE NOT WHITE, WHO ARE NOT WHITE MEN WHO ARE OFTENTIMES SEEN AS THE SORT OF FACE OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY. >> NOW, IF ALL OF THIS SEEMS A LITTLE BIT EARLY TO YOU RIGHT NOW IN 2024, REMEMBER WINSOME SEARS ISN'T EVEN CLOSE TO THE FIRST PERSON WHO'S ALREADY GOTTEN INTO THIS RACE. LOOK AT THE DEMOCRATIC SIDE. DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSWOMAN ABIGAIL SPANBERGER, SHE ANNOUNCED ALMOST A YEAR AGO. VIRGINIA'S RICHMOND CITY DEMOCRATIC MAYOR LEVAR STONEY, HE ALREADY ENTERED AND EXITED THIS RACE IN JUST THE LAST FEW MONTHS. NOW A LOT OF THE FOLKS FOX 5 SPOKE TO HERE IN VIRGINIA TODAY SAY EVEN THOUGH THIS PAPERWORK WAS FILED FOR SEARS TO RUN FOR GOVERNOR AND THE DEMOCRATIC LIKELY LEADERS ALREADY IN PLACE RIGHT NOW, THEY SAY THEY'RE JUST FOCUSING ON 2024 AND 2025 SEEMS A LONG WAY OFF. >> YES, I'M PAYING ATTENTION TO THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE AND LESS TO THE VIRGINIA RACE. >> GOVERNOR IS JUST AS IMPORTANT FOR YOUR SPECIFIC STATE. SO PEOPLE ARE PAYING ATTENTION TO PAYING ATTENTION. A LITTLE EARLIER SO THEY CAN CATCH UP WITH SOME OF THESE LITTLE THINGS THAT THEY MAY MISS. >> I DON'T THINK PEOPLE ARE PAYING ATTENTION TO THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE RIGHT NOW. >> I ASSUME SO. I'LL BE HEARING A LOT OF CUSTOMERS AT WORK WHERE I WORK AT BE TALKING ABOUT IT, SO I ASSUME THEY ARE. >> NOW, REMEMBER, IF WINSOME SEARS DOES GO ON TO WIN THE REPUBLICAN NOMINATION IN VIRGINIA, A STATE THAT HAS NEVER ELECTED A WOMAN GOVERNOR BEFORE, WE COULD SEE AN HISTORIC ELECTION HERE. THE LEADING DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE, CONGRESSWOMAN ABIGAIL SPANBERGER, IS ALREADY POISED TO TAKE THAT NOMINATION LATER ON NEXT YEAR. THE LEADING DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE ALSO SENT OUT A STATEMENT FROM HER CAMPAIGN, SAYING THEY BELIEVE SPANBERGER HAS THE MOMENTUM IN THIS RACE