Pat Herrity withdraws from the race for lieutenant governor citing health concerns

He announced Monday that he was withdrawing from the race for health reasons. Pat Herrity had been considered the frontrunner in the Republican Party’s nomination of lieutenant governor.

Herrity made his decision five weeks after underwent heart surgery. The 65-year old was forced to step away from the campaign trail. He says that subsequent complications made it much more difficult to run the race.

“I’ve come to realize that it will not be possible for me to return to the 150% I gave to run the statewide race, and that is necessary to win the November election. I think making this decision is in my best interest and my ticket.” Herrity wrote in a post on X.

With a heavy heart, I announce today that my race for the office of Lieutenant Governor in Virginia 2025 is over. Since my March 13th heart surgery and the complications that followed, I’ve been working to regain strength and return on the campaign trail. As I…

Pat Herrity (@PatHerrityVA April 21, 2020

Herrity had a ‘minor surgery’ in November as he pondered whether or not to run for nomination.

Herrity has received substantial financial support since he entered the race in January. In the first quarter 2025, his campaign raised more than $500,000. This is more than three times the amount raised by John Reid.

Herrity received a number of endorsements from across the state including former Fairfax City Councilman Sang Yu, who ran for mayor.

Herrity, who was first elected in 2007 to represent Springfield District, will continue to be the sole Republican on the County Board of Supervisors. He will finish his current term in 2027, for which he won a re-election in 2023.

Herrity stated that she was “committed to serving residents of Fairfax County by being the voice of common sense and balance on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors.”

The departure of Herrity from the race has all but secured the Republican nomination for John Reid. Reid is a Richmond radio host, and a former U.S. Senator George Allen.

Reid , writing on X, said: “With Pat’s selfless choice today, our Party now has an early chance to unite behind a historical, conservative, reasonable, and responsible GOP ticket.”

Virginia’s primaries are scheduled for June 17. Only the Democratic nominations of lieutenant governor, attorney general, and secretary of state have not yet been determined. They will be on that date.