The 2021 Virginia lieutenant gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 2021, to elect the lieutenant governor of Virginia. Republican former state delegate Winsome Earle-Sears defeated Democratic state delegate Hala Ayala. Earle-Sears succeeded Democratic incumbent Justin Fairfax who ran for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination.
Ayala won the Democratic primary held on June 8, 2021, with 38% of the vote. Earle-Sears won the Republican nomination through a convention held on May 8. Either candidate would have become the first female lieutenant governor of Virginia.
Sears won as part of the Republican Party's sweep of all three of Virginia's statewide offices in the 2021 election cycle. With her victory, Earle-Sears became the first female lieutenant governor of Virginia and the first woman of color to win a statewide election in Virginia.
On November 3, Hala Ayala conceded the race.
Democratic primary
Candidates
Nominee
- Hala Ayala, state delegate
Eliminated in primary
- Mark Levine, state delegate and candidate for Virginia's 8th congressional district in 2014
- Andria McClellan, Norfolk city councilwoman
- Sean Perryman, president of the Fairfax County NAACP
- Sam Rasoul, state delegate and nominee for Virginia's 6th congressional district in 2008
- Xavier Warren, sports agent
Withdrawn
- Paul Goldman, former chair of the Virginia Democratic Party
- Elizabeth Guzmán, state delegate (ran for re-election)
- Kellen Squire, nurse
Declined
- Justin Fairfax, incumbent lieutenant governor (ran for governor)
Endorsements
Mark Levine
Sean Perryman
- Kaye Kory, HD-38 (2010–2024)
Local officials
- Sharon Bulova, former chair, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors
- Steve Descano, Fairfax County, Virginia commonwealth's attorney
- John Foust, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors
- Jeff McKay, chair, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors
- Phyllis Randall, chair, Loudoun County Board of Supervisors
- James Walkinshaw, Fairfax County Board of Supervisors
Organizations
- Moms Demand Action (co-endorsement with Ayala, McClellan, Rasoul, and Warren)
Sam Rasoul
Xavier Warren
- Moms Demand Action (co-endorsed with Ayala, McClellan, Perryman, and Rasoul)
Republican convention
After months of uncertainty, the Republican Party of Virginia State Central Committee decided to hold an "unassembled convention" to select their nominees for governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general, as opposed to holding a state run primary. The convention was held on May 8 using ranked choice voting.
Candidates
Nominated at convention
- Winsome Earle-Sears, former state delegate (2002–2004), nominee for Virginia's 3rd congressional district in 2004 and write-in candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2018
Defeated at convention
- Puneet Ahluwalia, business consultant
- Lance Allen, security company executive
- Glenn Davis, state delegate and candidate for lieutenant governor in 2017
- Tim Hugo, former state delegate (2003–2020)
- Maeve Rigler, business executive
General election
Endorsements
Hala Ayala (D)
Federal officials
- Joe Biden, president of the United States (2021–2025)
- Kamala Harris, vice president of the United States (2021–2025)
- Barack Obama, former president of the United States (2009–2017)
State officials
- Ralph Northam, governor of Virginia (2018–2022)
U.S. senators
- Amy Klobuchar, U.S. senator from Minnesota (2007–present)
- Mark Warner, U.S. senator from Virginia (2009–present)
U.S. representatives
- Don Beyer, U.S. representative for Virginia's 8th congressional district (2015–present) and 36th Lieutenant Governor of Virginia (1990–1998)
- Elaine Luria, U.S. representative for Virginia's 2nd congressional district (2019–2023)
- Lauren Underwood, U.S. representative for Illinois's 14th congressional district (2019–present)
State legislators
- Joshua G. Cole, state delegate from the 28th district (2020–2022)
- Eileen Filler-Corn, state delegate from the 41st district (2010–present) and speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates (2020–present)
- Charniele Herring, state delegate from the 46th district (2009–present), majority leader of the Virginia House of Delegates (2020–2022), and former chair of the Democratic Party of Virginia (2012–2014)
- Clint Jenkins, state delegate from the 76th district (2020–present)
- Danica Roem, state delegate from the 13th district (2018–present)
Individuals
- Blake Cooper Griffin, actor
- Jaime Harrison, chair of the Democratic National Committee (2021–present)
Organizations
- Democracy for America
- EMILY's List
- Human Rights Campaign
- Moms Demand Action
- Working Families Party
Winsome Earle-Sears (R)
Federal officials
- Ben Carson, United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (2017–2021)
- Ken Cuccinelli, principal deputy director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (2019–2021), attorney general of Virginia (2010–2014), and nominee for governor of Virginia in 2013
State officials
- Mark Earley, former attorney general of Virginia (1998–2001) and former state senator from the 14th district (1988–1997)
U.S. senators
- Tim Scott, U.S. senator from South Carolina (2013–present)
U.S. representatives
- Ben Cline, U.S. representative for Virginia's 6th congressional district (2019–present)
- Dan Crenshaw, U.S. representative for Texas's 2nd congressional district (2019–present)
- Bob Good, U.S. representative for Virginia's 5th congressional district (2021–2025)
State legislators
- Amanda Chase, state senator from the 11th district (2016–present)
- Dave LaRock, state delegate from the 33rd district (2014–present)
- Tommy Norment, minority leader of the Virginia Senate (2020–present) from the 3rd district (1992–present)
Individuals
- E. W. Jackson, bishop, attorney, and nominee for lieutenant governor in 2013
Organizations
- American Veterans Vote
- Maggie's List
- NRA Political Victory Fund
- Republican Party of Virginia
- Republican State Leadership Committee
Results
Hopewell was the lone county or city that voted for different parties for governor and lieutenant governor, as it voted for Republican Glenn Youngkin for the former and Democrat Hala Ayala for the latter.
By county and independent city
Counties and independent cities that flipped from Democratic to Republican
- Chesapeake (independent city)
- Montgomery (largest municipality: Blacksburg)
- Northampton (largest municipality: Exmore)
- Prince Edward (largest municipality: Farmville)
- Radford (independent city)
- Surry (largest municipality: Claremont)
Counties and independent cities that flipped from Republican to Democratic
- Hopewell (independent city)
By congressional district
Earle-Sears won six of 11 congressional districts, including two that were represented by Democrats.