Republican attorney Wade A. Kizer, who had been in office since 2000, announced his candidacy for the next term in 2009, while attorney Matthew Geary went against him for the Republican primary. Geary won an against Kizer in the Republican primary, with many Republicans against the endorsement. In 2010, Kizer announced that he would not be running for another term and that he would retire from the office. On August 11, 2011, the same day as the 5.8 earthquake in Virginia, attorney Shannon Taylor announced her candidacy for the Commonwealth's Attorney. Days after, Republican Bill Janis entered the race as an Independent politician, dropping his bid for another term for the Virginia House of Delegates.