Joe Morrissey Announcement
Joe Morrissey announced on Thursday that 75 women had endorsed his campaign for Richmond mayor. (Photo by Mark Robinson)
Richmond mayoral front-runner Joe Morrissey announced on Thursday what he characterized as the “most valued endorsement” he could receive this election season.
Morrissey, a former commonwealth’s attorney and state delegate, told attendees of a midday news conference at his campaign headquarters on North Side that 75 women had formally endorsed his candidacy. The women also appeared in an ad on his behalf that was published in the Richmond Free Press, he said.
Flanking Morrissey at the news conference were six women to whom he yielded the lectern. Each read statements voicing support for his candidacy. Kristal Stallings, a 28-year-old mother who lives in the 3rd District, said she is supporting Morrissey because he listened to her concerns and aspirations.
“Not one big-shot politician has ever come and talked with me about my life and my dreams for my daughter, but Joe Morrissey spent his time asking about my life and our needs,” she said.
Marty Jewell, a former City Council member in the 5th District, and King Salim Khalfani, a former head of the local arm of the NAACP, also attended the news conference and announced their support for Morrissey.
The announcement doubled as an opportunity for Morrissey to criticize two of his opponents – former Venture Richmond executive Jack Berry and former Secretary of the Commonwealth Levar Stoney – for recently announcing endorsements from prominent former elected officials who are men.
“In contrast to my opponents, I stand today with the women of Richmond, who my opponents overlooked, accepting the most valued endorsement of this campaign: the endorsement of the hard-working women of this city,” Morrissey said.
Morrissey’s are the latest in a slew of endorsements the leading mayoral candidates have announced this week. After earning the Richmond Times-Dispatch editorial board's endorsement on Sunday, former Venture Richmond executive Jack Berry announced that former City Council member Chuck Richardson and University of Richmond professor John Moeser support his candidacy. Stoney announced endorsements from former Richmond mayors Henry Marsh and Rudy McCollum.
Although their recent endorsements came from men, both Berry and Stoney have previously announced endorsements from women. For Berry, those included former state delegate Viola Baskerville and longtime RPS educator Thomasina Binga. For Stoney, those included former Virginia Secretary of Education Anne Holton, Del. Jennifer McClellan and Del. Delores McQuinn.
