2025 Virginia Governors race widens with entrance of second Democratic candidate

After hinting at a run for the Governor’s office for weeks, Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney made it official in a formal announcement on Monday, as the field of candidates grew to two.

“Right now, families across Virginia are struggling just like mine did,” Stoney said in his campaign video, harkening back to his childhood.

Born to teen parents and raised in Virginia by his father and grandmother, Stoney was the first in his family to graduate both high school and college.

He was appointed as the Secretary of the Commonwealth in 2013 by former Democratic Governor Terry McAuliffe. In his role as Secretary, Stoney helped to restore voting rights to almost 200,000 people. Prior to joining McAuliffe’s cabinet as Secretary of the Commonwealth, Stoney served as Executive Director of the Democratic Party of Virginia in 2008.

Stoney has been Richmond’s youngest mayor to serve the city, sworn in at 35 years old in December 2016. According to his campaign announcement, Stoney reduced the poverty rate by 22%, made headway on infrastructure projects, and created a budget surplus as mayor.

Stoney has received dozens of endorsements within the first 24 hours of his announcement from current and former state lawmakers, current and former mayors, council members, school board members, county supervisors, and constitutional officers, according to a statement from his campaign.

The announcement comes nearly one month after Stoney’s effort to bring a casino to Richmond was tanked by voters for the second time. Virginia Public Media reported in 2021 that Stoney had received donations from investors in the casino project.

Stoney takes aim at Republicans

“Kids aren’t getting the education they deserve just because they live in the wrong zip code, and we’ve got a Governor who is more worried about his own agenda than yours and more focused on taking away people’s rights than lifting them up,” Stoney said, as he drew contrast between himself and current Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, in his campaign announcement video.

He outlined Youngkin's efforts to ban abortion after 15 weeks, ban books in public schools and reduce access to voting as "extreme" and divisive.

"It's time we put the hopes and dreams of Virginians first," Stoney said.

Virginia statute prohibits the governor from seeking two consecutive terms in office, which means Youngkin cannot seek to retain the office and the field is open to both Democrat and Republican hopefuls.

Who else is running?

Democrat U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger announced her candidacy for the Governor’s office mid-November.

Spanberger, a prominent moderate Democratic who has represented Virginia’s 7th Congressional District since flipping the Republican stronghold in 2018, is a former federal agent with the United States Postal Service and former CIA officer.

She has received endorsements from former Democratic Governor Ralph Northam, Democratic U.S. Representatives Jennifer Wexton, Don Beyer and Gerry Connolly, along with a number of other state representatives and local elected officials.

No Republican candidates have formally announced their bid for the seat, with the election nearly two years off.

Both the Richmond Mayor and the 7^th Congressional District seats are up for re-election in 2024.

This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: 2025 Virginia governor's race is already underway