RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Pat Herrity, a Republican candidate for Virginia's next lieutenant governor, announced that he is taking a step back from campaigning after he experienced a medical event and underwent surgery. Herrity, who has served on Fairfax County's Board of Supervisors for more than 1 5 years, announced that he would be running for lieutenant governor in early January. On Friday, March 14, Herrity took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to announce that he was temporarily taking a break from campaigning. MORE ON HERRITY: First high-profile Republican enters race for lieutenant governor; Where does the race stand? According to his statement, this is because of a medical event he experienced on Sunday, March 9, and the resulting surgery necessary to treat his condition. His full statement is included below. "Sunday night, after my weekly ice hockey game, I experienced shortness of breath, minor chest pain and swelling and sought medical attention out of an abundance of caution. Thankfully, doctors were able to identity the source as a hereditary heart condition that many in my family have fought successfully. Yesterday morning, I underwent corrective surgery and I'm happy to report that the doctors expect a full recovery in the coming weeks. While I'm saddened to be sidelined from the campaign trail for that period, I'm tremendously grateful to the doctors, nurses and staff at INOVA Hospital that contributed to the success of that procedure, and I'm thankful for the support of Virginians across the Commonwealth. I look forward to resuming the campaign for Lieutenant Governor in a few weeks with the same committment and dedication I had before the surgery and to advancing common sense, conservative policies to keep Virginia moving forward." Pat Herrity, candidate for Virginia's lieutenant governor As said above, Herrity intends to resume campaigning within a few weeks. ...read more read less