Del. Charniele Herring

As expected, Virginia Democrats today unanimously elected state Del. Charniele Herring of Alexandria as their new chairwoman today, the first time the state party has chosen an African American woman as its leader.

The election took place at the party’s quarterly meeting in Williamsburg. Herring succeeds former state Del. Brian Moran, who announced last month that he would step down as chairman. Herring, who also holds Moran’s old House of Delegates seat, announced her candidacy for party chair shortly after Moran’s decision became public.

“I am humbled by the strength and diversity of Virginia Democrats,” Herring said in a statement. “I look forward to fighting every day to ensure we continue to elect Democrats here in this great commonwealth.”  

Moran said Herring will be “a strong advocate for Democrats across the commonwealth and will work tirelessly to continue the progress we made in 2012 and bring us to victory in 2013.”

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe also praised Herring, saying she “has she has the vision, experience and priorities that represent the future of our party in the commonwealth.”

“Charniele’s compelling life story and dedication to public service enable her to be the strong leader and effective communicator our party needs,” McAuliffe said. “Her historic election is representative of the strength and diversity of our party and our commonwealth.”

– Michael Sluss