Richmond’s mayoral race has not gone to a runoff since the city voted to adopt a new election process in 2003.
That streak continues in 2024: Dr. Danny Avula, the son of Indian immigrants, will be Richmond’s 81st mayor, according to unofficial results.
As of Tuesday night, Avula held leads in six of Richmond’s council districts — the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 7th — enough to secure the city’s top job, which requires winning a majority of the nine districts.
(All election results are unofficial until certified, and many votes — including absentee ballots and mail-in votes — still need to be counted.)
Of the votes that have been counted, Avula leads former City Council President Michelle Mosby — who appears to have won the 6th, 8th and 9th districts — by a margin of roughly 20,000 votes. Nonprofit investor Harrison Roday, 1st District Councilor Andreas Addison and community organizer Maurice Neblett trailed further behind.
Richmond adopted its current electoral system to ensure that one district couldn’t dominate the vote and protect Richmond’s Black voters. Under the old system, City Council selected the mayor from among its ranks.
Avula is the first non-Black candidate to win under this system, following the election of Douglas Wilder in 2004, Dwight Jones in 2008 and 2012 and current Mayor Levar Stoney in 2016 and 2020.
At his watch party Tuesday night, Avula did not declare victory but delivered a hopeful speech to his supporters.
“I am so incredibly honored to have your trust and your partnership as we move forward, and hopefully when these numbers come in, I will say I cannot wait to get started with all of you all,” he said.
Avula is currently a pediatrician at Chippenham Hospital. He led Virginia’s COVID-19 vaccination efforts under former Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam and was appointed commissioner of the state department of social services by Gov. Glenn Youngkin in 2022.
During his campaign, Avula raised nearly $1.4 million and was endorsed by current and former councilmembers, Richmond’s Association of Realtors, and several labor unions. He has promised to invest in Richmond’s public schools, fight displacement of long-term city residents, expand the supply of affordable housing and transform City Hall.
In a Q&A with VPM News, Avula said his first order of business would be to conduct a national search for a top-notch, experienced chief administrative officer.
“I intend to work as quickly as possible to ensure City Hall is efficient, reliable, accessible and accountable because that is critical for all Richmonders and Richmond businesses,” Avula said at the time. “I believe that we cannot effectively tackle my other priorities without setting this foundation.”
