RICHMOND, Va. — Dr. Danny Avula has won the Richmond mayoral race, according to Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ).
Avula is a familiar face in Richmond. He served as director of the Richmond City and Henrico County health districts and later state vaccination coordinator during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, Style Weekly named him Richmonder of the Year.
"The next four years, if all goes well, will bring a lot of new opportunities," Avula said while addressing supporters on Election Night after establishing a lead but before he was declared the winner. "But they'll also bring a lot of new challenges. And know that our love, our connection, and our shared sense of calling to the city and to serving Richmond is going to pull us through, and I'm really grateful for that."
WATCH: Dr. Danny Avula addresses supporters on Election Night
He said as mayor he would work to ensure the voices of people across Richmond would be heard, valued, and incorporated into the priorities of City Hall.
"We will move forward creating a Richmond where nobody gets left behind. That's the commitment," he said.
Some of Avula's main campaign points were affordable housing, funding for public schools, and improving efficiency in city hall. He raised roughly $1.1 million in campaign funds, the second-highest of the five candidates, according to VPAP.
Dr. Danny Avula's Background
Avula, a Democrat, is a practicing pediatrician at Chippenham Hospital. He lives in Church Hill with his wife, a teacher for Richmond Public Schools, and their five children.
Avula served as Director for the Richmond and Henrico Health Districts through the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
WATCH: Dr. Danny Avula on when COVID-19 will peak and stay-at-home might stop (April 2020)
In early 2021, Gov. Ralph Northam appointed Avula as Virginia's State Vaccination Coordinator. In his tenure of roughly one year, Virginia jumped from being behind other states in vaccine distribution to being ranked ninth in the percentage of residents fully vaccinated, according to the Associated Press.
Avula was honored for his service to the Commonwealth by lawmakers in Oct. 2021. At the time, nearly 60% of Virginians were vaccinated, and Virginia was the 14th most vaccinated state in the country.
Local News
Dr. Danny Avula honored for work addressing COVID-19
Gov. Glenn Youngkin appointed Avula as Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Social Services in 2022. In this role, Avula "expanded resources through successful legislative advocacy, laid the groundwork and began the process of replacing outdated IT systems, and ensured employees statewide had the necessary training to offer responsive, high-quality service," according to his campaign website.
What do you hope to see from Richmond's next mayor? Email your thoughts to the CBS 6 Newsroom.
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