In dropping out of the contest for governor, Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney entered another contest that is anything but a sure thing, according to Virginia political analysts.
State Sen. Aaron Rouse, D-Virginia Beach, a former NFL football player and Virginia Beach City Council member, announced Tuesday that he will seek the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor in 2025. His announcement came hours after Stoney said he is dropping his run for governor against Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-7th, to seek the No. 2 post.
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Sen. Ghazala Hashmi, D-Chesterfield, said Tuesday that she had no comment on the lieutenant governor’s race but added: “We are going to have a big announcement next week.”
In March Stoney’s political mentor, former Gov. Terry McAuliffe, endorsed Dr. Babur Lateef, an eye surgeon and chair of the Prince William County School Board, for lieutenant governor. On Monday Lateef and McAuliffe both posted a photo of the two of them together at Keswick Hall in Charlottesville.
But late Tuesday afternoon, Stoney posted that McAuliffe has endorsed his campaign for lieutenant governor, indicating that the former governor is supporting both Democrats.
“Of course he’s supporting Babur and of course he’ll support Levar. He loves Levar,” said Caroline Corl, a spokeswoman for McAuliffe. “The Governor has a simple rule — if you supported him, he supports you — no matter how many people are in the race.”
Great time last night @Keswick_Hall with @TerryMcAuliffe! Honored to have his support in my race for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia! pic.twitter.com/jOFRFHubdq
— Babur Lateef, MD (@LateefForVA) April 22, 2024
🧵 Our campaign’s momentum is STRONG!
— Mayor Levar M. Stoney (@LevarStoney) April 23, 2024
Honored to have the endorsements of so many Virginia leaders starting with @TerryMcAuliffe!
Welcome to Team Stoney! 💪🏿 pic.twitter.com/C4oAYPLlmC
State Senate President Pro Tempore Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, and Sen. Mamie Locke, D-Hampton, chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus, had backed Stoney for governor, but are supporting Rouse for lieutenant governor.
Stoney rolled out additional endorsements Tuesday evening from Sens. Creigh Deeds, D-Charlottesville, and Sen. Jeremy McPike, D-Prince William; Dels. Destiny LeVere Bolling, D-Henrico, Laura Jane Cohen, D-Fairfax, Dan Helmer, D-Fairfax, Marty Martinez, D-Loudoun and Josh Thomas, D-Prince William, as well as from former U.S. Rep. Jim Moran, D-8th, and Dick Cranwell, a former House Majority Leader and former chairman of the state Democratic Party.
Stoney posted on X: “Our campaign’s momentum is STRONG! Honored to have the endorsements of so many Virginia leaders starting with @TerryMcAuliffe.”
‘It’s not a slam dunk’
As for Stoney’s run for lieutenant governor, “It’s not a slam dunk,” said Mark Rozell, dean of the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University. “These are relatively low-turnout affairs within political parties. That makes it likely a candidate can break through with a mere plurality.”
Rozell said it is not yet clear which candidate will have “the most ardent group of partisans.”
Larry Sabato, head of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, said of Stoney’s prospects: “I won’t call it steep uphill, but at best for him, it’s a level playing field.”
Alusoji Okomolafe, head of the political science department at Norfolk State University, said: “If Stoney wants to make it in the lieutenant governor field, there might be a problem. It’s already very crowded.”
Akomolafe said Rouse is “a rising star” who boasts endorsements from some powerful African American leaders in Hampton Roads, including Lucas and Locke.
“Those two people are very influential in the African American community,” he said.
While no Republican has yet announced for lieutenant governor, John Reid, a conservative morning talk show host on Richmond’s WRVA radio, told listeners in March that he is exploring a GOP run for lieutenant governor in 2025. He said he will not run if the incumbent, Lt. Gov. Winsome Earle-Sears, a Republican, seeks a second term in the post.
Earle-Sears has not yet announced whether she will seek the GOP nomination for governor. In Virginia the lieutenant governor may serve consecutive terms, unlike the governor. Attorney General Jason Miyares also could seek the GOP nomination for governor.
Among the unanswered questions is whether the Democratic field for lieutenant governor will further swell before the summer 2025 Democratic primary.
At present 12 Democrats — including six current and former legislators — are seeking the Democratic nomination to run for Congress in Northern Virginia’s 10th District, based in Loudoun and Prince William counties. Seven Democrats are seeking the Democratic nomination for Spanberger’s seat in the 7th District. It’s possible that one or more of the defeated Democrats could consider a run for lieutenant governor next year.
Stoney does have experience prevailing in crowded fields. He was elected mayor in 2016 and in 2020 without receiving 40% of the vote in either contest.
Rouse’s message
Rouse played football at Virginia Tech and the Green Bay Packers drafted him as a safety in 2007. He also played for the New York Giants.
Rouse served on the Virginia Beach City Council from 2019 to 2022, before he won a January 2023 special election to succeed state Sen. Jen Kiggans, a Republican who was elected to represent the 2nd District in Congress. Rouse then won a rematch with Republican Kevin Adams last November.
“With extreme Republicans fixated on stripping our fundamental freedoms and funding corporate tax breaks on the backs of everyday Virginians, and Donald Trump on the ballot again, there is no margin for error. Democrats must retake control of our statewide offices in 2025,” Rouse said in a statement.
“I’ve built my career on winning in tough spots when it matters – whether it be under the glare of NFL lights or flipping the State Senate seat needed to ensure we blocked Republicans’ assaults on reproductive freedom and voting rights. Virginia is ready for a new generation of leaders to step up.
“That’s why I am running to be the next Lieutenant Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia.”
High-profile legislation
Rouse sponsored high-profile legislation in the legislative session that ended March 9. He was the Senate sponsor of legislation to establish a recreational market for cannabis, which Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed.
Rouse also sponsored the legislature’s compromise bill to legalize and regulate electronic skill games. Youngkin proposed a rewrite of the skill games bill and the legislature rejected the governor’s amendments last week during the veto session. Youngkin says he wants conversations on skill games legislation to continue with a possible resolution when lawmakers return for a special session on May 13.
The senator formally begins his bid for lieutenant governor with prominent backers in Hampton Roads, including Lucas and Locke.
“When Aaron Rouse was elected, it guaranteed that no abortion ban would make it past our pro-choice brick wall in the Virginia Senate,” Lucas said in a statement. “He has held the line against Republican attacks on a woman’s right to choose, on Virginia workers, on public education, and so much more. Aaron has had my back in the Senate, and I am proud to endorse his campaign for Lieutenant Governor.”
Rouse released a list of endorsements that includes seven additional current members of the legislature, as well as a number of municipal leaders in Hampton Roads, Roanoke and Radford.