Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney Announces 2025 Virginia Gubernatorial Bid

Stoney, in his second term as Richmond mayor, will face Rep. Abigail Spanberger in the Democratic primary.

Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney has announced his candidacy for Virginia governor in 2025.
Stoney, the first in his family to graduate high school and college, served as the first Black Secretary of the Commonwealth and is now in his second term as mayor.
In the Democratic primary, Stoney will face Rep. Abigail Spanberger, a former CIA officer who has cultivated an identity as a bipartisan consensus builder over three terms in Congress.
Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin is term-limited since the Commonwealth prohibits its governors from serving consecutive terms. No Republicans have announced a bid yet, but Attorney General Jason Miyares and Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears are seen as likely contenders.
Stoney's mayoral tenure has been marked by efforts to improve the city’s finances, improving roads, building new schools and reducing the poverty rate.