Former Democratic Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe will announce his intentions to seek a second term on Wednesday, The Washington Post reported Tuesday night.
McAuliffe left office in 2018 still popular, though his party has moved sharply to the left in the ensuing two years. As governor, his administration was friendly to business, while liberal on social issues, the Post noted.
Virginia is the only state that bars governors from serving consecutive terms. If McAuliffe wins, he would be the second Virginia governor since Reconstruction to serve a second term.
He is seen as a favorite, having left office with positive ratings, low unemployment numbers and $20 billion in business investment. He was co-chair of President Bill Clinton's 1996 reelection campaign and has been a top fundraiser for both Bill and Hillary Clinton.
"To call him a formidable candidate for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination is the greatest of understatements," Stephen Farnsworth, a University of Mary Washington political scientist," told the Post.
McAuliffe, who is white, faces a Black candidate and two women already seeking the Democratic nomination: Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, Delegate Jennifer D. Carroll Foy, and state Sen. Jennifer L. McClellan.
Republicans already declared for the race are: Delegate Kirk Cox, former speaker of the House of Delegates, and state Sen. Amanda F. Chase, who intends to run as an independent.
Others in the GOP looking at running include: Rep. Denver Riggleman; businessman Pete Snyder; former Carlyle Group co-chief executive Glenn Youngkin; state Sen. Emmett W. Hanger Jr. and former state Sen. Charles "Bill" Carrico.