RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares, a Republican who has embraced prosecutions against election fraud and other conservative causes, said Monday that he will seek reelection next year, dispelling speculation of a potential gubernatorial bid.
Miyares said in a video that he is running for attorney general to continue his tenure as Virginia’s top prosecutor and near-decade experience as a politician. The announcement quiets questions about whether Miyares would run to succeed Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who is term-limited by the state constitution.
“Three years ago, I made one promise to the people of Virginia: to keep you and your family safe,” Miyares said in the campaign video posted on the social platform X. “And as attorney general, I serve as the people's protector.”
Miyares, 48, was elected in 2021 after serving as a local attorney and member of the House of Delegates from Virginia Beach. He defeated two-term Democrat Mark Herring, and quickly fashioned what had been a liberal office into a conservative enterprise.
He created an “ election integrity unit ” and successfully defended the state in removing people accused of being noncitizens from voter rolls less than 90 days before the November presidential election — a legal battle that drew criticism from Democrats and voting-rights advocates.
Also vying for the role are Democrats Jay Jones, a former state delegate from Norfolk, and Henrico County Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor, both of whom have been critical of Miyares. It's the second time Jones is seeking the Democratic nomination for attorney general. In 2021, he lost in a primary against Herring.
“Instead of protecting our families, he’s been a partisan warrior for his extremist agenda,” Jones posted on X. “And now he’s running for reelection to give Donald Trump a blank check. Next November, we will stop him.”
Miyares is the only Republican currently running for his party’s nomination, making the Democratic primary winner his likely opponent in a general election, unless another conservative challenges him.
He had widely been seen in political circles as a possible gubernatorial candidate in 2025, along with Republican Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, who launched her campaign in September. During an interview in 2023, Miyares declined to say whether he was considering a run but said he's always flattered” when he’s asked the question.
On Monday, Youngkin endorsed both Earle-Sears and Miyares in their campaigns, and said in a statement that the attorney general “vigorously defends the laws of the Commonwealth.”
“He has never backed down when it comes to standing up for Virginians,” Youngkin said. “He is an exceptional Attorney General.”
Miyares has developed a reputation in Virginia as a conservative stalwart, clashing with progressive prosecutors in Northern Virginia who touted a commitment to a reformed criminal justice system. In his tenure, he has developed a program in partnership with local governments in the state to target violent repeat offenders. His office also brought charges against Loudoun County officials after a student was charged in two sexual assaults at separate schools, though a judge overturned their only successful conviction following the high-profile investigation.
Miyares also has deeper ties to key players in Washington, raising his national profile. Miyares’ former communications director, Victoria LaCivita, is the daughter of Chris LaCivita, President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign co-chair. Victoria LaCivita left his office in 2024 to work for the Trump campaign in Michigan.
As first reported by the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Miyares was also a Virginia co-chair of Sen. Marco Rubio’s 2016 presidential campaign, and Rubio headlined a fundraiser for Miyares in December 2017. Both Rubio and Miyares are children of Cuban immigrants.
“I’ve worked to protect the American dream because it’s personal for me," Miyares said in his campaign video, later adding: "And as a child of an immigrant, one of the proudest things I get to do is to attend the naturalization ceremony and welcome these new Virginians home.”
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Olivia Diaz is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Olivia Diaz, The Associated Press
