Former Virginia Congressman Announces Run for Governor

The governor's race is heating up in Virginia with a surprise entry Thursday. Former Congressman Tom Perriello announced his run, calling fellow Democrat Ralph Northam on Wednesday to let him know he was entering the race, the New York Times reported.

Thomas Stuart Price "Tom" Perriello, 42, is an attorney and a graduate of Yale University and Yale Law School. Perriello represented Virginia's 5th District, which includes Charlottesville, from 2009-2011; he was later defeated. He was most recently at the State Department, working as a special envoy to the Great Lakes Region of Africa, after being appointed to the post by President Obama.

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, as well as Senators Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, will continue to support Northam in the race, the Times reported. McAuliffe is hosting a fundraiser for Northam this weekend, the newspaper reported.

The Republican field includes former RNC chair Ed Gillespie, Donald Trump's former state campaign chair Corey Stewart and state Sen. Frank Wagner. Polls show Gillespie ahead.

The Virginia gubernatorial election will take place on Nov. 7. McAuliffe is not eligible to run for re-election due to term limits established by the Virginia Constitution.

On his campaign Web site, tomforvirginia.com, Perriello posted this message Thursday:

A note from Tom:

Future generations will ask what we did at this moment to defend our values and our Commonwealth.
I'm running for Governor of Virginia because our state must be a firewall against hate, corruption and an assault on the Virginia values of decency and progress. That is a wall worth building!
This election is not just about the next four years -- but the next generation. The next Governor can block the radical redistricting that has held back our promise and progress. If we hand the system back to the people, together we can demand better wages, more time with family, paid family leave and better, more affordable education.

This is a fight to reclaim the politics and policies of our state for the people and the problem-solvers. You and I can fight together -- and if we stand strong by our values and refuse to back down, I believe we can win.

Virginia is the state that gave my father, the son of working class immigrants, a shot at a UVA education and the American Dream. It is the state that instilled my sense of hope in progress, watching the former confederate capital elect the nation’s first African-American Governor.
Raised in the shadows of Thomas Jefferson and Barbara Johns, I was taught our democracy was not an inheritance but a charge we are expected to protect and expand with each generation.
That Virginia is under threat. The main Republican challengers include the corporate D.C. lobbyist who wrote the playbook that sold out the middle class to the highest bidder. His team rigged the district maps to ensure our legislature reflected his clients instead of our citizens.
The other is a top Trump acolyte who sows fear and racial hatred, denies climate change and stoked the war on women.

I am proud that Virginians have rejected these values again and again -- and we’ll do it again this year, together. I know how to fight, and I know how to win. With your help, Virginia will continue its tradition of being a leading force for the sanctity of our social contract, our democracy and our common good.
I'll be hitting the road in the coming weeks -- from Arlington to Abingdon, from Harrisonburg to Hampton -- to offer up ideas, but more importantly, to listen to yours. I hope to see you on the trail.
-- Tom

Watch a video posted to YouTube by Perriello about why he is running for governor:

PHOTO of Tom Perriello and President Obama from Perriello campaign Web site.