No black woman has ever been elected governor of any state.
Jennifer Carroll Foy, a 38-year-old attorney and member of the Virginia General Assembly, thinks she could be the first.
“The road to politics is a difficult one,” Carroll Foy said in a recent interview when asked about that statistic. “And it’s not easy to run for office when you don’t come from power and prestige and wealth.”
Carroll Foy is formally launching her bid for governor this week, speaking publicly for the first time about her aspirations for higher office and why she believes voters should put their trust in a second-term state delegate in what could be a crowded contest for the Democratic nomination in 2021.
A Petersburg native who now represents parts of Prince William and Stafford counties, Carroll Foy was first elected to the House of Delegates in 2017 as part of the initial blue wave that prefaced the Democratic takeover of the General Assembly last year.
Asked what she’d say to someone who might question whether she has enough experience for the top job in state government, Carroll Foy said she’s “been in Richmond long enough to know it’s not working” and to see that some who have been there longer have grown “out of touch” with the people they serve.
“I’ve been in Richmond long enough to know that special interests still have a strong hold,” she said.