Former state Del. Jennifer Carroll Foy officially announced her candidacy for governor over a year ago. Now there is less than a week until that year’s worth of work either comes to fruition or falls short in her bid for the Democratic nomination. Carroll Foy is hoping to reach the voters that are just now tuning back into politics ahead of the June 8 Democratic primary.
“Our campaign is ramping up at just the right moment to reach undecided voters who are now tuning in and making their choice in this primary: between Jennifer Carroll Foy, an inspirational candidate who has walked in Virginians’ shoes and will move the Commonwealth forward, or a politician of the past,” said Sharon Yang, communications director for the campaign.
Carroll Foy has focused in part on her relatability to Virginians by highlighting her childhood in Petersburg; or describing tough moments in life that she has experienced and overcame, like her grandmother becoming a quadriplegic or her childhood friend being shot.
As for electability, she has built a base of supporters that believe she has the ability to inspire and motivate Democratic voters in November more than any other candidate. “JCF is the exciting and fiery candidate we need for this general election,” said Del. Josh Cole, a co-chair of the Carroll Foy gubernatorial campaign. “As a friend and colleague in the General Assembly I’ve watched her stand toe-to-toe with GOP heavy hitters, she’ll do the same this fall and inspire voters throughout the commonwealth to show up.”
Carroll Foy is going up against former Governor Terry McAuliffe, state Sen. Jennifer McClellan, Del. Lee Carter, and Lieutenant Governor Justin Fairfax for the Democratic nomination.
At the last filing deadline on March 31, Carroll Foy brought in the second-highest total with nearly $3.7 million, while McAuliffe raised close to $10 million and McClellan raised $1.7 million. Carroll Foy’s heavy haul was due in part to receiving the backing of Democratic mega-donors like Michael Bills, Sonjia Smith, EMILY’s List, and several different unions.
But even with that fundraising haul, the union support, and an inspirational story — it doesn’t appear that Carroll Foy has a clear path to victory in this primary race. McAuliffe holds a strong lead in the few polls that were released and of the respondents that did not support McAuliffe, they split fairly evenly among the remaining four candidates. That makes it difficult for any of the four to break out and pose a serious challenge to McAuliffe’s candidacy.
That isn’t stopping Carroll Foy, however. “In the home stretch, Jennifer is not letting her foot off the gas, making the case that she is the strongest candidate to take on Glenn Youngkin in November. She will barnstorm every corner of the Commonwealth: from getting out the vote in Hampton Roads with the family of Donovon Lynch and firing up supporters in her hometown of Petersburg, to launching canvasses in towns across Virginia,” Yang said. “We are proud of the momentum we have and the grassroots organization we’ve built united behind Jennifer’s positive vision that is reaching voters at their doorsteps, on their phones, through their televisions, and more.”
The nominee that Virginia Democrats choose on Tuesday will face Glenn Youngkin in November.
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