Stewart is the first GOP candidate to announce a run for Senate next year, although several other names are being floated. Among them is Carly Fiorina, the former CEO of Hewlett-Packard who ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate in California in 2010 and for the GOP nomination for president last year.

Although he trailed Gillespie in polls, Stewart made the longtime GOP operative and his backers sweat on June 13, when primary election returns were closer than most people expected. Gillespie received 160,003 votes to Stewart’s 155,466 — edging him by just more than 1 percentage point. State Sen. Frank W. Wagner of Virginia Beach received 50,313 votes.

Stewart has said he wants Gillespie to win but says Gillespie needs to win over Stewart’s voters against Lt. Gov. Ralph S. Northam, the Democratic nominee. Libertarian Cliff Hyra is also running.

“The real question is whether Ed will support my supporters,” Stewart said after his primary loss. “No matter what I say, they will support him if he stands up and fights. And fights for the issues which I fought on. The fight to preserve our history. The fight against illegal immigration. The fight to support our president.”