RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Shannon Taylor, Henrico County’s top prosecutor since 2012, is running to be Virginia’s next attorney general.
Taylor formally announced her campaign for the Democratic nomination in the 2025 attorney general’s race on Wednesday, the day after 8News first reported that she had filed paperwork with the state to run.
“I am ready to bring my 28 years of actual experience in the courtroom, my decade of running one of the largest Commonwealth’s Attorney’s offices, my successes in fighting hate and bigotry, and my years of keeping communities safe to the Attorney General’s office to ensure progressive, responsive leadership for ALL Virginians,” Taylor said in a statement.
Taylor, Henrico’s first woman commonwealth’s attorney, is the first Democrat to jump into the state primary set for next June.
Touting her effort to lead “progressive reforms in the county prosecutor’s office” in her announcement, Taylor pointed to her bringing women into leadership roles and working to have her office “resemble the diversity” of Henrico.
Taylor also spotlighted her successful prosecution in a case in which a self-proclaimed Virginia Ku Klux Klan leader attempted to run over protesters in Richmond in 2020. The man was ultimately sentenced to just under four years.
“When MAGA extremists push laws that punish women for making private healthcare decisions, women need to fight back,” Taylor said in her announcement. “And when our extremist Attorney General tries to deprive our friends and neighbors of their rights, we need to stand strong. I’m ready on Day One to take on and win these fights.”
Taylor’s announcement described her as a “longtime champion of gun safety,” who has advocated for stronger hate crime laws and helped lead Henrico County’s shift from a red district to blue, pointing to Democratic majorities on the county’s Board of Supervisors and General Assembly delegation.
“To defeat extremism and hate, we need an experienced, proven prosecutor as our Democratic nominee for Attorney General who can take this vital statewide role back from Republicans in 2025,” Taylor’s announcement continued. “I am the only candidate who has flipped a seat from Red to Blue in what was a Republican leaning locality and the only candidate with a proven record of successfully prosecuting hundreds of cases.”
In her announcement, Taylor also highlighted criminal justice reforms she instituted such as working with recovery groups and offering diversion programs to help non-violent offenders get away from the criminal justice system.
A coalition of Democrats led by former Gov. Ralph Northam has gotten behind Jay Jones, a former state delegate who represented Norfolk and lost to former Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring for the party’s nomination in 2021. Herring ultimately lost to Attorney General Jason Miyares (R).
Jones has not formally launched a campaign, but his long-expected run has already picked up donations and support through a PAC being led by Northam, former first lady Pam Northam, state Sen. Schuyler VanValkenburg (D-Henrico) and others.
Called “the commonwealth’s law firm,” Virginia’s Office of the Attorney General can conduct or assist certain criminal investigations and prosecutions, provide information to the public on scams and enforce state consumer protection laws.
Among several other duties, the attorney general can also issue official legal opinions to lawmakers and give legal advice and representation to the governor and state government agencies.
The AG’s office also works with Virginia’s law enforcement agencies “to prepare for emerging public safety threats and to promote successful, secure communities.”
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Shannon Taylor, Henrico County’s top prosecutor since 2012, is running to be Virginia’s next attorney general.
Taylor formally announced her campaign for the Democratic nomination in the 2025 attorney general’s race on Wednesday, the day after 8News first reported that she had filed paperwork with the state to run.
“I am ready to bring my 28 years of actual experience in the courtroom, my decade of running one of the largest Commonwealth’s Attorney’s offices, my successes in fighting hate and bigotry, and my years of keeping communities safe to the Attorney General’s office to ensure progressive, responsive leadership for ALL Virginians,” Taylor said in a statement.
Taylor, Henrico’s first woman commonwealth’s attorney, is the first Democrat to jump into the state primary set for next June.
Touting her effort to lead “progressive reforms in the county prosecutor’s office” in her announcement, Taylor pointed to her bringing women into leadership roles and working to have her office “resemble the diversity” of Henrico.
Taylor also spotlighted her successful prosecution in a case in which a self-proclaimed Virginia Ku Klux Klan leader attempted to run over protesters in Richmond in 2020. The man was ultimately sentenced to just under four years.
“When MAGA extremists push laws that punish women for making private healthcare decisions, women need to fight back,” Taylor said in her announcement. “And when our extremist Attorney General tries to deprive our friends and neighbors of their rights, we need to stand strong. I’m ready on Day One to take on and win these fights.”
Taylor’s announcement described her as a “longtime champion of gun safety,” who has advocated for stronger hate crime laws and helped lead Henrico County’s shift from a red district to blue, pointing to Democratic majorities on the county’s Board of Supervisors and General Assembly delegation.
“To defeat extremism and hate, we need an experienced, proven prosecutor as our Democratic nominee for Attorney General who can take this vital statewide role back from Republicans in 2025,” Taylor’s announcement continued. “I am the only candidate who has flipped a seat from Red to Blue in what was a Republican leaning locality and the only candidate with a proven record of successfully prosecuting hundreds of cases.”
In her announcement, Taylor also highlighted criminal justice reforms she instituted such as working with recovery groups and offering diversion programs to help non-violent offenders get away from the criminal justice system.
A coalition of Democrats led by former Gov. Ralph Northam has gotten behind Jay Jones, a former state delegate who represented Norfolk and lost to former Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring for the party’s nomination in 2021. Herring ultimately lost to Attorney General Jason Miyares (R).
Jones has not formally launched a campaign, but his long-expected run has already picked up donations and support through a PAC being led by Northam, former first lady Pam Northam, state Sen. Schuyler VanValkenburg (D-Henrico) and others.
Called “the commonwealth’s law firm,” Virginia’s Office of the Attorney General can conduct or assist certain criminal investigations and prosecutions, provide information to the public on scams and enforce state consumer protection laws.
Among several other duties, the attorney general can also issue official legal opinions to lawmakers and give legal advice and representation to the governor and state government agencies.
The AG’s office also works with Virginia’s law enforcement agencies “to prepare for emerging public safety threats and to promote successful, secure communities.”