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At a Tuesday morning press conference, two organizations that have historically advocated for people of color in politics defended and explained their decision to endorse a white candidate for Richmond’s next mayor.
Harrison Roday stood beside representatives of The Richmond Crusade for Voters and New Virginia Majority as they explained why they are supporting him for mayor.
He is running against four others to become the next chief executive of Virginia’s capital city.
Roday comes from the finance world but has also worked for Sen. Tim Kaine and former President Barack Obama.
RCV is a historically Black political organization that was created in the 1950s to help register Black voters during Massive Resistance to school desegregation. RCV has played a pivotal role in shaping local elections for decades, and though its influence has waned since its heyday, it continues to exert power in local races.
Chuck Richardson, a former city councilor and current member of RCV’s research committee, summoned Martin Luther King Jr. when discussing their endorsement of Roday instead of one of the Black candidates in the race.
“Because of pride, we wanted to have a person of color to be our next mayor,” Richardson said. “But after we looked at all of the objective evaluations, we have to admit to ourselves, it’s time to do what Martin Luther King said: we have to judge people by the content of their character and not the color of their skin.”
Richardson said deciding which candidate to support this year was a long process.
“We conducted three weeks of interviews with every candidate,” he said. “We interviewed them, we had forums and we questioned them. And it was not a surface level. It was intense.”
Richardson said they are making no apologies for their decision.
“It was no question that Harrison was head and shoulders above all the other candidates,” he said. “We make no apologies because we are here together, and none of us are going anywhere.”
NVM has faced some public pushback for their decision to back Roday. They describe themselves as Virginia’s leading civic engagement organization that “builds power in working-class communities of color across the commonwealth.”
“Richmond progressives have made a defining split from New Virginia Majority,” wrote Chelsea Higgs Wise, a Richmond activist, in a social media post. “Because of their most recent endorsement for mayor with no explanation. A topic mostly OFF the internet: a lot of regular supporters of NVM are confused & now suspicious of the organization.”
On Tuesday, they explained why they are backing Roday, saying their efforts in recent years to address safe and affordable housing concerns in Richmond align with him.
“The next mayor of Richmond needs to be a leader who will bring everybody to the table and work with us on these solutions,” said Tram Nguyen, the executive director of NVM. “Harrison has made a commitment to make historic investments in affordable housing and putting more funding for eviction diversion. These are the things that our folks deeply care about, and we want a mayor who works alongside us and for us, the choice couldn’t be any clearer.”
In 2004, Richmond transitioned to a strong mayor system, in which the mayor is elected by residents and is the clear executive leader with substantial powers. Prior to then, Richmond operated on a weak mayor system with the City Council appointing a mayor with more diffused power.
Richmond residents approved the change with a referendum in 2003.
At the time, many Black leaders opposed the new system of electing a strong mayor.
Councilman Walter T. Kenney Sr., a former mayor, said at the time of the referendum that “direct election of the mayor could result in a well-financed white candidate becoming chief executive of a city that is nearly 60 percent black and has had a majority-black council since 1977.”
The three individuals who have served as mayor since 2004, when the strong-mayor system began—Douglas Wilder, Dwight Jones, and Levar Stoney—have all been Black. According to the latest Census, more than 40% of the city’s residents are Black.
“I trust Harrison,” Richardson said Tuesday. “If you have anything in terms of my long-standing legacy and commitment to the African American community, just trust my judgment on this one and support Harrison.”
When asked if it surprised him to receive the endorsement of these organizations, Roday called it an honor.
“It’s an honor to receive the endorsement of every single one of these groups,” he said. “And you work hard, you hope you receive these endorsements. It’s a reflection not just on me as a person, but the ideas we’re advocating for in the campaign that we’re building. People should never not have a seat at the table. And these organizations represent such a broad group of people in Richmond.”
