Republicans across the Commonwealth are looking to take back the governor’s office this November, but first they will have to choose a candidate.

The Republican candidates for governor in Virginia have found themselves in the unusual position of appealing to be the second choice of voters at the party's nominating convention on Saturday.

Republican Congressman Morgan Griffith has thrown his support behind Delegate Kirk Cox for Virginia governor. Griffith represents Virginia’s 9th Congressional District which mostly covers Southwest Virginia. According to his website, Cox is a defender of conservative values and served as the House majority whip, House majority leader and Speaker of the House of Delegates. Former Virginia governors George Allen and Bob McDonnell, Southwest Virginia State Senator Bill Carrico and more than three dozen more elected and party leaders from Southwest Virginia also support Cox as Virginia’s next Governor, according to the press release. “To put an end to one-party Democratic rule in Virginia, our party must come together in every corner of the Commonwealth.”

This year’s crowded contest for governor is an uncertain one as Virginia nears its selection for party nominations.

While 2020 was a big election for the United States, 2021 will be when Virginians vote on who will lead the Commonwealth.

Former House Speaker Kirk Cox has announced that he is running for governor in Virginia’s next gubernatorial election. Cox is a conservative who has been in politics for around 30 years who currently represents the 66th District in the Virginia House of Delegates. According to his campaign website, Cox is a retired public school teacher and coach. Kirk CoxCox is the second Republican to announce a bid for governor, with Sen. Amanda Chase being the first to announce her candidacy in February. Jennifer Caroll-Foy, Sen. Jennifer McClellan and Lt. Gov.

Former Virginia House Speaker Kirk Cox has filed paperwork to run for governor in 2021. The 63-year-old Cox is a retired high school teacher who’s served in the House of Delegates since 1990. He filed paperwork Wednesday to create a campaign committee. He lost that role after Democrats won a majority in both the House and Senate in November for the first time in a generation. Cox announced in August that he was seriously considering a run for governor.

ROANOKE, Va. A group of Virginia Republican legislators is calling on Governor Ralph Northam to prioritize in-person classes five days a week this upcoming school year. Virginia Republicans want Northam to lay out a road map of what the 2021 school year will look like for grades K-12, adding that they feel students would succeed further with in-person learning. Democratic Senator John Edwards is not fully convinced a five-day school week is the best choice. The number one priority should be the health and safety of our children and not just five day school. For a full list of school reopening guidelines set by the state, click here.

Stephen Maturen/Getty ImagesRepublicans in the Commonwealth are reacting after last night's losses. That is a role senate republicans have excelled at before, and one for which we are fully prepared now." Northam released a statement saying, "I am proud of my fellow Democrats and inspired by our shared victory. Since I took office two years ago, we have made historic progress as a commonwealth. Tonight, Virginians made it clear they want us to continue building on that progress."

Stephen Maturen/Getty ImagesRepublicans in the Commonwealth are reacting after last night's losses. That is a role senate republicans have excelled at before, and one for which we are fully prepared now." Northam released a statement saying, "I am proud of my fellow Democrats and inspired by our shared victory. Since I took office two years ago, we have made historic progress as a commonwealth. Tonight, Virginians made it clear they want us to continue building on that progress."

RICHMOND, Va. - Virginia House Speaker Kirk Cox is a low-key retired school teacher who hasn't faced serious competition since the first President Bush was in office. Virginia's legislative elections in November have become the marquee warmup for the 2020 election cycle - an early gauge of Democratic enthusiasm and Republican resilience in a state once considered a presidential battleground. Democrats surprised even themselves with how well they did in 2017, picking up 15 seats in the state House. Impeachment efforts by U.S. House Democrats have put a renewed focus on the Trump presidency just ahead of next month's elections. These off-year legislative elections when there no statewide candidates running typically favor Republicans, but Democrats have other forces working in their favor.