According to people involved, Mr. Stoney told three people he might run for lieutenant governor, and told the fourth he had decided to run for lieutenant governor.
Stoney’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday night.
Stoney’s potential move to the lieutenant governor race is a bit of an embarrassment for Democrats, who have already committed to other lawmakers seeking the position, as it is a part-time and largely ceremonial post. It may cause irritation. But one It is often a stepping stone to executive mansions.
Mr. Stoney’s political mentor, former Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D), supported Mr. Stoney as a candidate for governor, but his candidate for lieutenant governor was another person, Prince William, a prominent eye surgeon in northern Virginia. He supported Babur B. Lateef, chairman of the district board of education. Two state senators who have been preparing to enter the lieutenant governor race, Aaron R. Rouse (D-Virginia Beach) and Ghazala F. Hashmi (Chesterfield), are joined by other Democrats. I’m here.
Late last year, some Democrats felt that Spanberger, a former CIA employee and three-term congressman, would be a formidable gubernatorial candidate, rather than governor, according to two people who spoke on condition of anonymity. He had urged Stoney to run for lieutenant governor. Share private discussions. They said that they were not very enthusiastic about his appointment as lieutenant governor at this time because it would shake up the situation.
Stoney was first elected as Richmond’s youngest mayor in 2016. Prior to that, he served as Secretary of the Commonwealth during the first years of the McAuliffe administration. In that role, Stoney helped lead efforts to restore voting rights to approximately 170,000 Virginians who had completed their sentences for a felony conviction.
The 2025 gubernatorial race got an unusually early start in November, nearly two years before the election, when Spanberger announced he would not seek a fourth term in the Legislature and would instead run for governor. Stoney threw his hat into the ring in December.
They are the only candidates from either party to officially join the race to succeed Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R), who is prohibited from serving consecutive terms under the Virginia Constitution. On the Republican side, Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earl Sears and Attorney General Jason S. Miyares are expected to vie for their party’s nomination.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
