Former Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor Hala Ayala announced her campaign for the Democratic nomination for the new Senate District 33 in Prince William and Fairfax Counties. She will face former Delegate Jennifer Carroll Foy, who lost the nomination for governor to Terry McAuliffe in 2021.
“Right now, too many Virginia families are feeling squeezed,” Ayala said in a press release obtained by Blue Virginia. “That’s a worry I know firsthand as a single mom, and it’s why I ran for elected office in the first place — to fight for families like mine who didn’t have a voice. We made progress, bringing down healthcare costs and making communities safer. But Glenn Youngkin and Republicans in Richmond are ignoring our greatest challenges and trying to take us backward.”
Ayala immediately rolled out endorsements, including from Senate Majority Leader Richard Saslaw (D-Fairfax). Carrol Foy, who announced her campaign in mid-January, responded to Ayala’s campaign announcement by announcing an endorsement from State Representative Donald McEachin (D-VA-04).
In 2020, Carroll Foy resigned from her House seat to focus on her race for governor. After Ayala won the nomination for lieutenant governor, Democrat Briana Sewell (D-Nokesville) ran and won Ayala’s House seat.
In her announcement, Carroll Foy highlighted her work, including passing the Equal Rights Amendment in Virginia and expanding Medicaid.
“We are at a critical juncture for our Commonwealth, where so much of our progress has the potential to be reversed. That’s why I’m again stepping up to serve my community and move Virginia forward,” she said in the January 14 announcement.
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Eric Burk is a reporter at The Virginia Star and The Star News Network. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Hala Ayala” by Hala Ayala. Photo “Jennifer Carroll Foy” by Jennifer Carroll Foy. Background Photo “Virginia Capitol” by Farragutful. CC BY-SA 4.0.
