Stoney votes
Richmond mayoral candidate Levar Stoney talks with reporters after waiting an hour to cast his ballot at the Richmond Public Library. (Photo by Mark Robinson)
Richmond mayoral hopeful Levar Stoney stood in line for an hour at the Richmond Public Library’s main branch to cast his ballot on Tuesday morning.
Stoney, the former Virginia secretary of the commonwealth, arrived at the library at 7:20 a.m. He took questions from reporters around 8:30 a.m. Finally voting felt like crossing the finish line in a marathon, he said.
“It felt good, but there’s a possibility of [the race] going on six more weeks, and so, I might have to do it again,” Stoney said, alluding to the possibility of a runoff in the city’s mayoral race. “It’s my hope that we don’t have to. I think we’ll get a result tonight that’s a result for victory.”
Stoney said he’ll spend the rest of his day making stops at polling places, particularly in the battleground 3rd and 5th districts. His campaign won’t be the only one making a last-second push to woo voters in those districts. Former Venture Richmond executive Jack Berry and former state delegate Joe Morrissey will seek to sway voters there, too.
Just behind Stoney in line was his former boss, Gov. Terry McAuliffe. The governor predicted record turnout statewide in the presidential election. He also made a short plug for his political protégé.
“We need some bright and exciting leadership here in Richmond. It’s a great city. We need to take it to the next level. Some new dynamic young leaders is exactly what we need,” McAuliffe said.
