Winsome Sears: 5 facts about Virginia's first black female lieutenant governor
Voters in Virginia decided on Tuesday to elect Republican candidate Winsome Sears to be the next lieutenant governor of the state, making her the first African American female to be elected to the office.
According to the unofficial results posted by the Virginia Department of Elections, with 2,726 of 2,855 precincts reported, Sears won 50.97% of the vote, while Democrat opponent Hala Ayala won 48.93%.
Ayala conceded on Wednesday afternoon, taking to Twitter to congratulate Sears “on making history and paving the way for future women leaders who look like us.”
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At a victory speech held early Wednesday morning in Chantilly, Sears told supporters that “the business of the Commonwealth” is the chief item on her agenda moving forward.
“We have things to tend to. We are going to fully fund our historically black colleges and universities. We’re going to have safer neighborhoods, safer communities, and our children are going to get a good education,” declared Sears.
Here are five interesting facts about Winsome Sears, which include her immigrant background, her charitable work with the Salvation Army, and an earlier milestone election victory in 2001.
