5 Democrats face off in today's Virginia gubernatorial primary
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Former Del. Jennifer Carroll Foy, a Democratic candidate for Virginia governor, greets a supporter at a rally in Hampton, Va., last week. Photo: Steve Helber/AP
Among the five Democrats in Virginia's gubernatorial primary Tuesday is Jennifer Carroll Foy, a former state delegate who shaved her head when she became a Rat — a first-year Virginia Military Institute cadet.
What she's saying: "I wore a man's uniform," she told me over coffee as she campaigned in Old Town Alexandria. "And it was some of the most trying times and experiences that I've ever had."
- "I graduated," she said. "I marched, sweat, and bled beside over a thousand male cadets — and they all knew my name."
Foy, 39, a lawyer who's from Petersburg and lives in Woodbridge, today has another ferocious fight — running against former Gov. Terry McAuliffe, 64, the huge favorite in today's primary.
- "When I travel throughout the Commonwealth," Foy told me, "what I'm hearing is that Virginians want a governor who has walked in their shoes ... who has that 'Virginia-lived' experience."
The big picture: The question for voters is whether McAuliffe, with decades of experience, is right for the moment in a state in the throes of unsettling change, AP writes.
- The field also includes state Sen. Jennifer McClellan, Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax and Del. Lee Carter, a socialist.
