Jennifer Carroll Foy Jumps Into Virginia Governor’s Race, Hoping To Make History

Jennifer Carroll Foy is jumping into the 2021 gubernatorial race in Virginia, making her the first Black woman to run for the job in 30 years. If elected, she would be the first Black female governor anywhere in the country.

“I look forward to being more bold in what we get done here in Virginia, especially dealing with everyday, kitchen table issues,” Carroll Foy, a 38-year-old state delegate, said in an interview with HuffPost.

The election of Carroll Foy would be a dramatic move, cementing the new blue, diverse character of the state that once was the capital of the Confederacy.

Virginia has never had a female governor. Democrat Douglas Wilder, who served 1990-1994, is the only Black person elected to the job in the state.

Carroll Foy is considered a dynamic rising star in Virginia politics. She grew up in Petersburg ― about 30 miles south of Richmond. After the Supreme Court forced the Virginia Military Institute to start accepting female cadets in 1996, Carroll Foy received a full scholarship to attend college was part of the third class of women to graduate ever.

She became a public defender and was elected to the General Assembly in 2017.

Carroll Foy has made her mark in office by leading the fight to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment as the chief sponsor in the state House.

In January, Virginia became the 38th state to ratify the provision, which guarantees equal protection for women. There will now be a legal battle about whether Virginia’s vote means that the ERA can be added to the U.S. Constitution.