Former Speaker of the House of Delegates Kirk Cox is considering a run for Governor next year. From his Facebook page:
I have been hearing from people who want me to consider running for governor, something I would not have even thought about eight months ago.
After the policies put in place by Democrats this year, the vacuum of leadership during this health and economic crisis, and the violence and destruction in our streets, it’s clear we need credible and steady leadership.
That leadership certainly isn’t coming from Governor Northam, whether you look at the failures on coronavirus testing, the parole board illegally and secretly releasing violent criminals early, or the mismanagement of how to best send our kids back to school this fall.
I’ll be candid. I’m 62 years old. The easiest thing for me and Julie to do would be to spend the next 20 years going on walks at the park and visiting our boys at the beach, tweeting we told you so as Democrats drive up our taxes, chase investment and business out of our Commonwealth, adopt policies that lead to public employee strikes that hurt our kids, and reverse the policies that made Virginia one of the safest states in the nation.
But that’s just not who we are. So, yes, I am seriously looking at a run for Governor.
Out of respect for the candidates on the ballot this November and because we need to win back congressional seats, defeat Mark Warner, and defeat Joe Biden, I am not going to launch a gubernatorial campaign now. I’m going to keep listening to Virginians, talking with friends and people from across our Commonwealth, and working to support the constitutional amendment on redistricting this fall.
From the Washingtonpost.com on a possible run by Cox:
An unusually large number of Democrats have expressed interest in running for governor, including former governor Terry McAuliffe, who left office in January 2018 and has raised $1.7 million for a still-undeclared candidacy.
Declared and potential Democrats running include Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, Attorney General Mark R. Herring, Del. Jennifer D. Carroll Foy (Prince William), state Sen. Jennifer L. McClellan (Richmond) and Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney — although the former McAuliffe Cabinet secretary is not expected to seek the nomination if the former governor enters the race.
The filing deadline, typically in the spring, has not been set.
So far, the field is smaller for Republicans. State Sen. Amanda F. Chase (Chesterfield) is the lone declared candidate. Pete Snyder, a Northern Virginia technology entrepreneur who unsuccessfully sought the 2013 GOP nomination for lieutenant governor, is considering a run. So is Charles “Bill” Carrico, a retired state trooper and former state senator from Grayson County, in the state’s far southwest.
