James City County business consultant to run for lieutenant governor as Republican

A James City County business consultant has entered the 2025 race for Virginia lieutenant governor as a Republican.

John Curran, who ran unsuccessfully for the Board of Supervisors in 2023, said he had filed paperwork Friday to run for the statewide office.

Other candidates who have announced plans include Democrats such as Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, state Sens. Aaron Rouse and Ghazala Hashmi, and Northern Virginia eye surgeon Babur Lateef.

Current Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears announced her candidacy for governor this month.

In a Friday interview, Curran said he wanted to bring cooperation back to Virginia politics and help facilitate good legislation getting passed rather than being left in committees.

“I think we’re just at a weird place, and I’m tired of no solutions,” he said.

As lieutenant governor, Curran said he wants to work to attract employers to the state with high-paying jobs with room for advancement. He is also proposing an elimination of the state income tax for professions such as teachers, nurses, first responders and military who make less than $75,000 a year.

“A little bit of extra cash in that paycheck makes a difference,” he said.

He distanced himself from being a career politician, saying that unlike some candidates, he has no ambitions to run for governor.

While personally being anti-abortion, Curran said he is empathetic with women who chose to have the procedure, saying state and community organizations should provide more resources and alternative options for them.

Curran ran against incumbent Ruth Larson in the James City County Board of Supervisors Berkeley District in 2023, losing by nearly 30 percentage points. Curran said the experience had a learning curve for how to run a campaign.

Curran graduated from George Washington University and served in the Navy. He has worked for various construction and defense contracting companies. He also holds a leadership position at a local Knights of Columbus chapter.

Trevor Metcalfe, 757-222-5345, trevor.metcalfe@pilotonline.com