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Berry on Mayor Morrissey: It’s just not going to happen

Posted at 1:26 PM, Nov 08, 2016
and last updated 2016-11-08 13:26:13-05

RICHMOND, Va. -- Richmond mayoral candidate Jack Berry did not mince words when asked about the possibility of Joe Morrissey becoming Richmond's next mayor.

"I don't think there's a chance of that happening. We're not going to let that happen. It's not going to happen," Berry said.

Recent polls put Berry and Morrissey among the top vote getters in the hotly contested race for Mayor of Richmond.

Morrissey, the front-runner in those polls, and his wife waited outside a Northside church in Ginter Park Tuesday morning to cast their votes. Several polls have indicated Morrissey has a strong lead in four of the city’s nine districts. A candidate must win five of the nine districts in order to claim an Election Night victory.

Despite a controversial background and recent accusations against him involving a former client, Morrissey said she was optimistic he will win the election.

"We knew in the last 20 days there would be a lot of attacks, but you know what, we stayed positive and we were determined to not say anything negative about our opponents," Morrissey said. "We’ll see how that resonates with voters."

Berry, the former Venture Richmond Director, predicted he would emerge victorious from what is now a five-person race.

"I think we had a good debate presence on television and I think that gave me a big boost and we got some great endorsements," Berry said.

Political experts believe a run-off election is possible between the top two vote-getters in the race. The runoff would only happened if no candidate won five of the city’s nine districts. Three Richmond districts, the third, fifth and seventh, are considered swing districts.

Standing in line with Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, mayoral candidate and former Secretary of the Commonwealth Levar Stoney said he felt positive about his chances of winning.

Stoney, a relative newcomer to the political scene, has the backing of the governor. He acknowledged while a run-off is possible, he hoped the election ended Tuesday night.

"I felt good, but you know there’s a possibility of it going on six more week and we might have to do it," Stoney said. "Hopefully we’ll get a result of victory tonight."

Richmond City Council President Michelle Mosby and architect Lawrence Williams also appear on the Richmond mayoral ballot, along with three candidates who have since dropped out of the race.

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