RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) – Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares (R) is running for reelection in 2025, opting not to run for the Republican nomination in next year's governor’s race against Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears. Miyares, who defeated incumbent Mark Herring (D) in 2021 to become AG, announced his decision to seek a second term in a post on X on Monday. “Three years ago, I made one promise to the people of Virginia: to keep you and your family safe. And as attorney general, I serve as the people’s protector. I’m a prosecutor, a husband, and a father of three remarkable young girls,” Miyares said in his announcement video. By running for reelection, Miyares won’t face Lt. Gov. Earle-Sears in a GOP primary battle for the party’s nomination in the 2025 governor’s race, avoiding a potentially difficult nominating contest and clearing the path, for now, for Earle-Sears. After the AG's announcement, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) quickly voiced his support for Earle-Sears and Miyares in next year's races. Under the state constitution, Gov. Youngkin is barred from running for a second consecutive term. "In 2021 Winsome, Jason, and I ran as a team and we have served Virginians as a team," Youngkin posted on X. "In 2025, Winsome and Jason will once again lead the Republican team as candidates for Governor and Attorney General." The decision to run for reelection by Miyares keeps Earle-Sears and U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) as the only candidates currently running in the gubernatorial race, bolstering their positions as favorites to win their party's nomination a year away from the general election. If either Earle-Sears or Spanberger wins next year, Virginia will have its first woman governor. If Earle-Sears is victorious, she would be the first Black female governor in the country. In his video Monday, Miyares raised concerns over what he called “dangerous, failed policies of the past” where law enforcement was “reviled” and criminals came before victims. He said ensuring Virginia doesn’t “go back” is what led him to run for a second term. “We can’t return to the failed policies of the past because the safety of our families and the future of Virginia is at stake. We simply can’t go back,” Miyares said in the video. “That’s why I’m announcing that I’m running for reelection to be your attorney general.” Two Democrats – former Del. Jay Jones (Norfolk) and Henrico Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor – have launched campaigns for their party’s nomination in the attorney general’s race. Jones criticized Miyares after Monday’s announcement, calling the AG “a partisan warrior for his extremist agenda” in a statement. Taylor also blasted Miyares, saying in the statement that he has used the AG’s office “for his own political gain and to prove to Trump that he is a loyal soldier.” Called “the commonwealth’s law firm,” Virginia’s Office of the Attorney General can conduct or assist certain criminal investigations and prosecutions, provide information to the public on scams and enforce state consumer protection laws. Among several other duties, the attorney general can also issue official legal opinions to lawmakers and give legal advice and representation to the governor and state government agencies. The AG’s office also works with Virginia’s law enforcement agencies “to prepare for emerging public safety threats and to promote successful, secure communities.”