The 2025 statewide Democratic primary features a diverse group of candidates competing for various key offices, including lieutenant governor, attorney general, and seats in the state legislatures. Fairfax City residents will be voting for Lt. Governor and Attorney General candidates in the Democratic primary.
Lt. Governor Candidates
Levar Marcus Stoney was raised in Virginia and is running for Lieutenant Governor. He was brought up by his father, Marvin, and grandmother, Mary, neither of whom graduated high school but worked hard to provide for their family. Levar was the first in his family to graduate high school and college. He began his career in public service in Richmond, rising from a Fellow in Governor Mark Warner’s office to become the first African American Secretary of the Commonwealth of Virginia and the youngest member of Governor Terry McAuliffe’s cabinet. As Secretary, he restored voting rights for nearly 200,000 disenfranchised Virginians. Elected Mayor of Richmond in 2016, Levar focused on fiscal responsibility, infrastructure improvement, poverty reduction, increasing teacher and first responder pay, boosting school funding, and streamlining business regulations. He also built new schools in Black and brown neighborhoods, expanded after-school programs, and addressed the affordable housing crisis. Notably, he led the removal of Richmond’s Confederate monuments. Levar is running for Lieutenant Governor to build a thriving Virginia with fair opportunities for everyone, focusing on expanding opportunity for businesses and workers, strengthening public schools and early childhood education, increasing access to affordable housing, and protecting choice in healthcare decisions.
Babur B. Lateef is a parent, physician, and public servant running for Lieutenant Governor. He has served as Chairman of the Prince William County School Board and Chairman of the University of Virginia Health System Board, focusing on improving education and healthcare in Virginia. He and his wife settled in Woodbridge, Virginia, and have been involved in improving healthcare access and educational opportunities. As School Board Chairman, he led the division through the pandemic, prioritizing safety and the return to in-person learning. At the UVA Health System Board, he worked to expand healthcare access, protect access for women and children, address nursing shortages, improve quality, and oversee investments in medical research. He also led the Prince William County School Board to become a top-performing district while improving opportunities for all students. Under his leadership, teachers received pay increases, and mental health providers were added. He has supported fair labor practices and collective bargaining in a bipartisan manner.
Aaron R. Rouse was born in Norfolk and raised in Virginia Beach. He graduated from First Colonial High School and attended Virginia Tech on a football scholarship, later playing in the NFL. After retiring, he started a non-profit for children in underserved communities and served on the Virginia Beach City Council. As a State Senator, he focuses on building a strong economy, lowering healthcare costs, and ensuring quality public education and job training. He chairs the Senate Privileges and Elections Committee and serves in other leadership roles. He aims to help Democrats win statewide offices in 2025, emphasizing his experience in winning tough races and blocking Republican policies on reproductive freedom and voting rights.
Victor R. Salgado is the son of Peruvian immigrants and has dedicated his legal career to fighting public corruption. He served as Senior Litigation Counsel in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Public Integrity Section, prosecuting federal crimes affecting government integrity. He has handled numerous high-profile cases, including those involving Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio, former Acting Inspector General Charles Edwards, foreign influence matters, and elected officials. He also dealt with complex cases involving money laundering, bank secrecy, and economic sanctions. Prior to the Justice Department, he prosecuted public officials and campaign finance violations in New Jersey, including the largest pay-to-play scheme in the state. He teaches law at Georgetown University and provides instruction on government integrity. He lives in Arlington County with his wife and two daughters.
Ghazala F. Hashmi is the first Muslim and South Asian American to serve in the Virginia Senate. As an experienced educator, her legislative priorities include public education, voting rights, reproductive freedom, gun violence prevention, the environment, housing, and healthcare access. She emigrated from India as a child and grew up in Georgia. She earned a PhD in American literature and taught for nearly 30 years in the Richmond area. First elected in 2019, she won an upset victory that flipped the Senate majority to Democrats. In 2024, she became Chair of the Senate Education and Health Committee. She focuses on addressing inequities in housing, education, healthcare, and environmental justice.
Alexander J. Bastani grew up in Northern Virginia and attended public schools. He played football in high school and went on to Boston University, then worked as an Economist while attending law school at night. He served the federal government for 34 years and coached high school crew. He has been a union leader and attorney, representing workers and fighting for their rights. He has led campaigns against job privatization and significantly improved his union’s finances and membership. He is dedicated to standing up for working people and getting things done.
Attorney General Candidates
Shannon L. Taylor is a native of Charlottesville and a graduate of the University of Virginia and the University of Richmond Law School. She began her career as a prosecutor in Richmond, then worked as a Special Assistant US Attorney. She was elected Commonwealth’s Attorney for Henrico County, the first woman to hold that position. Her priority is community safety, focusing on removing violent criminals and illegal guns while stressing rehabilitation. She has diversified her office, enhanced the victim-witness program, and worked with mental health and drug rehabilitation programs. She is active in the Virginia Association of Commonwealth’s Attorneys and advocates for policies that remove systemic racism from the criminal justice system.
Jay C. Jones is a former Assistant Attorney General and lawmaker from Norfolk, running for Attorney General. He aims to protect Virginia families from crime, corporate price gouging, and extreme political agendas. As a Delegate, he supported abortion rights, Medicaid expansion, and teacher pay raises. He also championed environmental policies and created the “Ashanti Alert” for missing adults. He previously worked in consumer protection, taking on the gun lobby and corporate special interests. He has fought for voting rights and reproductive healthcare access. His family has a history of public service and civil rights advocacy in Norfolk
