Virginia Mayor Levar Stoney enters 2025 race for state governor

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Democratic Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney announced Monday that he will run for Virginia governor in 2025.

In a campaign video announcement, Stoney said he wants all Virginians to have a fair shot at success.

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"That’s why I’m running for governor. For families like mine that just need an opportunity. For kids like me who will thrive in school if they just get the right chance," he said. "And for parents like my dad who work multiple jobs and still struggle to live a secure, middle-class life."

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, back left, and Virginia Delegate Rodney Willett, back middle, look on as Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney speaks during a campaign rally for Virginia State Delegates Willett and Schuyler VanValkenburg on Nov. 4, 2023, Henrico, Va. Stoney announced on Dec. 4, 2023 that he will run for Virginia governor in 2025. (AP Photo/Bryan Woolston, File)

Stoney was the first in his family to graduate high school and college. He served as the first Black Secretary of the Commonwealth and is now in his second term as mayor. In the video announcement, Stoney touts his efforts to improve residents' lives by improving the city’s finances, improving roads, building new schools and reducing the poverty rate.

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, who announced her bid for governor last month.

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Former Virginia House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn announced in October that she would not make a bid for governor and will instead run next year to represent the competitive northern Virginia congressional seat being vacated by a fellow Democrat, U.S. Rep. Jennifer Wexton.

Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin is term-limited since the Commonwealth prohibits its governors from serving consecutive terms.

While no Republicans have announced a bid yet, Attorney General Jason Miyares and Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears are seen as likely contenders. Outgoing Republican state Sen. Amanda Chase, who lost a June primary and ran unsuccessfully for her party’s nomination for governor in 2021, has also said she may run.