Is Levar Stoney’s Political Star Still On the Rise?
Richmond voters just might play an outsized role in shaping the political landscape for Virginia Democrats in 2021. It’s not a responsibility they are used to having — the political gravity in Democratic circles swung to Northern Virginia a long time ago.
But Richmond’s mayoral election is being held against the backdrop of continuing protests, an on-again-off-again police response and the high-profile removal of Confederate statues (plus a global pandemic, economic crises, a presidential election and more).
The incumbent, Levar Stoney, is a protege of former Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe (D), having served as secretary of the commonwealth during McAuliffe’s gubernatorial stint, and before that as a consultant to McAuliffe’s infamous electric car venture, GreenTech Automotive.
Stoney won his first term — and first elected office — with 35.5 percent of the vote in a crowded field of candidates that included now-state Sen. Joe Morrissey.
Stoney was a young man on the move, with the new energy and new ideas the city needed. Were he successful, statewide office was sure to follow. But a few high-profile stumbles, including the massive — and ultimately unsuccessful — Navy Hill redevelopment project, caused his rising political star to fade.
His handling of the protests in the wake of George Floyd’s death have hurt even more. After a night of violent protests on July 25, which Stoney blamed on white supremacists, the Richmond Times-Dispatch complained of a lack of city leadership:
When will Stoney and City Council members acknowledge that putting down riots to protect lives and property is a very real function of their elected positions? Keeping mum and refusing to take action in fear of making tough decisions is not governing. It is cowardice.
The hyperbole of the city’s establishment aside, is Stoney’s once promising political career over? That’s far from certain.
We do have some data to help divine the contours of the current political landscape. An American Research Group poll of registered voters shows Stoney leading his nearest opponent, 2nd District City Councilmember Kim Gray, 36-31 percent. Alexsis Rodgers, who was Gov. Ralph Northam’s policy director when he was lieutenant governor, is third with 16 percent.
Those numbers indicate that after four years and a number of missteps, Stoney hasn’t come close to building a strong political machine. But he’s still the man to beat in River City.
Continue reading in the Washington Post.
