Democratic Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney is withdrawing from the 2025 race for Virginia governor and is instead throwing his hat in the ring for Lieutenant Governor.
The announcement came in a statement, where he said in part: “After careful consideration with my family, I believe that the best way to ensure that all Virginia families do get the change they deserve is for our party to come together, avoid a costly and damaging primary and, for me to run instead for Lieutenant Governor.”
Stoney has been immersed in Virginia politics for two decades and in 2016, he became the youngest person to serve as mayor of the state’s capital city. In 2020, he was reelected, with the goal of addressing “generational problems” while also working to enhance the city’s finances, establish new schools and reduce the poverty rate.
Back in December of 2023, he announced his candidacy for Virginia governor, saying: “I truly believe that the voters, the Democratic voters, want someone who has run something, and I’m going to lay out that record at that vision over the course of the next 18 months.”
However, he has now dropped out of the Virginia governor’s race to run for lieutenant governor, leaving Abigail Spanberger as the only democratic candidate. You can read his full statement below:
After growing up in a working poor family, I got into public service to make sure families like mine could get a fair shot at success. That’s been my guiding principle as the Mayor of Richmond, and it’s why I got into the race for Governor. Right now, we have a Republican administration that puts a radical political agenda ahead of what’s right for Virginia families. That must change. After careful consideration with my family, I believe that the best way to ensure that all Virginia families do get the change they deserve is for our party to come together, avoid a costly and damaging primary and, for me to run instead for Lieutenant Governor.
The greatest thing to happen to me was the birth of my daughter, Sunday, this past March. I was able to spend the past few weeks with her and my wife Brandy. And during this time, I thought long and hard about the future I wanted for her and all Virginia families. This was not an easy decision – especially given that my campaign has received a lot of support from all corners of the Commonwealth and I am so appreciative of that support. And while there was a path to victory it was a narrow path and, after consideration, I firmly believe that running for LG is the right move for me and my family, the right move for the Democratic Party, the right move for the future of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
As LG, I believe I can be an effective advocate for Virginia families to ensure that everyone in our state does in fact get that fair shot at success. Given everything at stake in the next Governor’s race – from reproductive rights to education funding and tax fairness - I believe this is a time when Democrats must stand united and avoid an ugly primary for Governor.
Democratic Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney
We reached out to Rep. Abigail Spanberger’s campaign for comment and got the following response:
“Virginians are uniting behind Abigail Spanberger’s campaign to serve as the next Governor of Virginia because they know she has the experience to bring people together, get things done, and lead the Commonwealth forward. Virginians know that Abigail is the right choice to strengthen Virginia’s public schools, lower costs for working families, grow the economy, and protect the rights of all Virginians — including the right to choose. Virginians are ready for leadership and ready for results.”
