Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney Colette McEachin and City Sheriff Antionette Irving won re-election Tuesday night, both defeating repeat primary challengers in similar fashion to 2021.
McEachin and Irving will each run unopposed in the Nov. 4 general election, as the city’s elections office told VPM News no other candidates filed to run.
Unofficial results show McEachin with more than 71% of the vote as of 10:45 p.m. Tuesday, delivering her a comfortable win over local attorney Tom Barbour. McEachin defeated Barbour in a 2021 primary with just over 73% of the vote. (All election results are unofficial until certified by the state.)
Barbour told VPM News he called McEachin Tuesday night to concede the race. McEachin did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.
“I’ve called to congratulate Ms. McEachin on a race well run,” Barbour wrote in a text to VPM News. “This is how we move our party forward as Democrats: by demanding action on issues that matter and building new bases of support.”
McEachin secured a second four-year term as Richmond’s top prosecutor with Tuesday’s victory. She previously won a 2019 special election to replace Michael Herring, who resigned to take a job at McGuireWoods.
In an interview ahead of the primary, McEachin told VPM News the role should be to “promote public safety, to provide second chances to people who want them and ultimately to hold offenders accountable for what they did.”
She called her office “one of the best in the state” in the interview, touting her office’s Restorative Justice Program and efforts to expand drug and mental health treatment opportunities for people charged with crimes.
McEachin has worked in the commonwealth’s attorney’s office for 25 years. She emphasized her prosecutorial experience throughout the campaign, saying Barbour’s 10 months as a prosecutor was not enough to lead the office.
A future goal for McEachin is bringing a family justice center to Richmond — similar to one in Norfolk — to provide services and assistance to victims of domestic and intimate partner violence. She told VPM News she believes it would help the city’s efforts to reduce gun violence.
McEachin is the widow of late Virginia Rep. Donald McEachin. She was endorsed by US Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Abigail Spanberger and Rep. Jennifer McClellan (D–4th).
Irving won her third term as sheriff by again defeating William Burnett, a longtime Richmond law enforcement officer. She received just under 55% of the vote in unofficial counts, a similar margin to her 2021 victory.
In a statement Wednesday, Burnett’s campaign said he “wishes the best to Sheriff Irving on her continued journey” and thanked his supporters and staff. Burnett wrote in a Facebook post that he won’t run for sheriff again and plans to leave the city.
Irving’s office — one of the largest in Virginia, with nearly 500 staff members — oversees the city’s jail and provides security at Richmond's courthouses.
Irving and Burnett clashed on overdose deaths in Richmond’s jail under her tenure. VPM News reported two recent federal court settlements Irving reached with families of men who died in the jail.
In March, Irving confirmed to VPM News that there have been 13 in-custody deaths at the city’s jail during her time in office. Irving has settled two federal lawsuits tied to overdose deaths in 2022 and 2023, according to court documents.
The city’s jail — Richmond City Justice Center — is currently under a compliance plan after a state investigation found staff violated rules and failed to conduct required hourly inspections.
