This post was updated at 5 p.m.

Former Republican Delegate Tim Hugo of Fairfax County and Democratic Del. Elizabeth Guzman of Prince William County, who also served as the co-chair of Bernie Sanders’s Virginia campaign, announced Monday they are running in their parties’ primaries for Virginia Lieutenant Governor.

In a statement, Hugo alluded to the Democratic sweep of Virginia’s General Assembly that cost him his seat last election.

“After not even a year of one-party control, Democrats have radically transformed our Commonwealth. Policies that were once considered too liberal for states like New York and California are becoming law. As a consequence, Virginia will be less safe and less prosperous,” he wrote.

Guzman referred to her background as a Peruvian immigrant in an interview with WAMU/DCist.

“I’m running to fight for the working families who are struggling to get by,” said Guzman. “And I think it is time to have a woman and a Latina run.”

Hugo’s campaign did not respond to an interview request. In his announcement he says he would work to help the state recover from COVID-19, fight off tax hikes and defend people serving in law enforcement. He served in Richmond for 17 years, building a reputation as a conservative lawmaker. He voted with the Republican Caucus 94% of the time in his last regular session in office, including on lowering taxes, maintaining gun rights and restricting abortion. His run in the General Assembly came to an end last year, when Democratic Del. Dan Helmer flipped his seat, but Hugo accused Democrats of inept leadership.

“I have heard from friends, family, colleagues, and neighbors who have watched as one-party control has led to diminished leadership of our commonwealth and a disregard for opposing viewpoints. Their concern has been compounded by the lack of leadership to reopen our economy and get our children safely back in the classroom,” Hugo said.

Guzman said she believed Hugo’s loss last year spoke to a broader shift in Virginia voting that aligned with her campaign.

“People in Virginia have selected the Democratic majority because they support Medicaid expansion, they wanted common sense gun reform, they wanted criminal justice reform — issues that Delegate Hugo was against when he was serving his constituents,” Guzman said.

Guzman says if elected, she would fight for an increase to Virginia’s minimum wage, which Gov. Ralph Northam (D) delayed amid the economic losses of the pandemic. She says she would also work to include farm workers in the minimum wage hike, and expand resources for early education and college affordability. Further, she says in the current special session she voted in favor of every House bill to overhaul policing and criminal justice, including a failed effort to end the qualified immunity that shields law enforcement from some liability for wrongdoing.

“Black Lives Matter, and the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor have definitely made us realize that we needed reform,” she says.

Guzman touted an upcoming list of endorsements, including those from Del. Alfonso Lopez (D-Arlington), Del. Paul Krizek (D-Alexandria) and Del. Ibraheem Samirah (D-Fairfax).

So far, Guzman’s competitors are Del. Hala Ayala of Prince William County, former Virginia Democratic Party chair Paul Goldman and Xavier Warren, a lobbyist for non-profits and an NFL player agent. Fairfax NAACP president Sean Perryman is also expected to run.

Hugo is among four candidates vying for the GOP nomination for the second-highest office in Virginia. The others include Indian American consultant Puneet Ahluwalia of McLean, Air Force veteran and security expert Lance Allen of Fauquier County and Del. Glenn Davis of Virginia Beach.

He is the latest among prominent Republicans seeking higher office after losing traction last election. Del. Kirk Cox (R-Colonial Heights) filed paperwork to run for governor of Virginia last week. He lost his title as House Speaker following the 2019 vote.

Mike Ginsberg, a state central committee member of the Republican Party of Virginia and a founder of the Suburban Virginia Republican Coalition, said Hugo had a reputation as “Delegate Pothole” for getting things done for his constituents, and he says President Donald Trump may have overshadowed his otherwise sterling reputation.

“To be very blunt about it, President Trump has been a very polarizing figure for a lot of folks,” said Ginsberg. “I’ve supported him, I think there’s a lot that he’s done that’s good, but I think it may be hard and a little bit unfair to say all these Republicans have lost and therefore their politics aren’t resonating.”

The post was updated with comments from Del. Guzman.