Rich­mond may­or drops out of Demo­c­ra­t­ic pri­ma­ry for Vir­ginia governor’s race

May­or Levar Stoney of Rich­mond, Vir­ginia, dropped out of the Demo­c­ra­t­ic pri­ma­ry for the 2025 guber­na­to­r­i­al elec­tion on Tues­day, seek­ing to “avoid an ugly pri­ma­ry for gov­er­nor.”
With Stoney drop­ping out, Rep. Abi­gail Span­berg­er (D‑VA) is the only remain­ing major can­di­date in the Demo­c­ra­t­ic pri­ma­ry for gov­er­nor and now has the inside track to win the party’s nom­i­na­tion next year. Stoney, who had received back­ing from for­mer Demo­c­ra­t­ic Gov. Ter­ry McAu­li­ffe, among oth­ers, argued in a state­ment issued on Tues­day that the loom­ing pri­ma­ry could have been “cost­ly and dam­ag­ing.”

After dis­cus­sion with my fam­i­ly, I have decid­ed that run­ning to be the next Lieu­tenant Gov­er­nor of Vir­ginia is the right choice.Together, we are going to take back our Com­mon­wealth in 2025. My full state­ment: pic.twitter.com/YW9FP01yWs
— May­or Levar M. Stoney (@LevarStoney) April 23, 2024

“After care­ful con­sid­er­a­tion with my fam­i­ly, I believe that the best w …