CHESAPEAKE — Council member and former NFL player Don Carey will challenge Mayor Rick West in November’s mayoral election — and he’s switching political parties to do so.
Carey, who made an unsuccessful bid for a statehouse seat as a Republican last year, has gained the backing of one of Virginia’s most powerful Democrats — Don Scott, the Virginia House speaker — as well as the Chesapeake Democratic Committee.
Though local elections in Chesapeake are nonpartisan, the benefit of having a party’s backing is that a candidate’s name is listed on sample ballots that party leaders and volunteers distribute at the polls. But in this year’s election cycle, Carey was one of a handful of Republican incumbents the local GOP did not endorse when it voted on its official slate of City Council, mayoral and school board candidates in January.
Carey said he’s making the switch after realizing the notions and values he thought Republicans stood for seem to no longer be the case.
“When I ran for City Council in 2020, I expected I would be part of a group that would listen to new perspectives and welcome change. That I would be seen as a teammate who could make a difference in a city with tremendous potential to do more for everyone,” Carey said. “Instead, I’ve learned that smoke-filled rooms and insider trading aren’t things of the past in Chesapeake, and that the notions of openness and transparency haven’t been much more than dressing on a word salad.”
Carey, first elected to City Council in 2020, declined to elaborate on some of the challenges he said he’s encountered at the local party level. Last year, he ranfor House District 89, an open seat representing parts of Chesapeake and Suffolk. In the Republican primary, he lost to Baxter Ennis, who went on to win the seat.
A former defensive back who spent one season with the Jacksonville Jaguars and eight with the Detroit Lions, Carey said in sports, in life and in politics “change is inevitable.”
“So, yes, I’ve changed parties and I’m in the race to become Chesapeake’s next mayor because the notion that ‘it’s my way or the highway’ isn’t a path to a (bright) future, and ribbon cutting is no substitute for leadership,” he said.
This year’s City Council election is in November — a relatively new change for the city — meaning a higher turnout is expected since it’s also a presidential election.
Scott told The Virginian-Pilot that his support for Carey follows a meeting with Chesapeake Democratic Committee members last week, where he and other Democrats vetted Carey “in a very public way” and that he answered all their questions “with some pressure.”
Scott said Carey understands and stands with the core values of Virginia Democrats, which he described as working toward an economy that works for every hard-working Virginian, world class public education for children, a $15 minimum wage, voting rights freedom, protecting women’s reproductive health care and eliminating “the scourge of guns in our communities.”
“I think it’s a big deal when you have someone who’s been running as a Republican,” Scott said. “People who had been moderate conservatives are now having to find a home in the big tent of Democrats because MAGA Republicans have become too extreme and too corrupt.”
Chesapeake Democratic Committee chair David Washington said Carey’s desire to switch parties and join Democrats was a “welcomed surprise.”
Washington said the main question Democrats asked before granting the endorsement was how sincere Carey was. He said Carey made it known the Republican party has changed over time and no longer aligns with his personal values.
“(We) believe that Don Carey wants to represent all of Chesapeake, from South Norfolk to Western Branch to Deep Creek and those communities that feel like they aren’t being represented on City Council, or they don’t have a voice in City Hall,” Washington said.
In an emailed statement to The Pilot, the Chesapeake GOP said it endorsed Carey when he first made his bid for City Council in 2020 but that he withdrew from seeking its endorsement after “voters rejected his bid for the Republican nomination last year.” The statement said Carey was a “political opportunist.”
“Mr. Carey ultimately decided to seek the Democrat Party’s Endorsement for Mayor when they had no other candidate,” the statement said. “Voters in Chesapeake will soon realize the only loyalty Don Carey has is to Don Carey.”
Carey founded the Don Carey REECH Foundation, a nonprofit that provides youth football camps and focuses on supporting children’s participation in STEM and arts fields. He’s also the eastern region representative for the State Board of Social Services, and serves on the Hampton Roads Transportation Commission and the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia.
He also serves on the board of the Crisis Pregnancy Center of Tidewater, a Christian- and ministry-based organization that works to aid women and families with unplanned pregnancies without providing or referring individuals for abortions. While campaigning for the District 89 seat last year, Carey described his work with the center on Facebook.
“Being pro-life is more than just a political statement to me,” he wrote in an April 15, 2023 post. “I believe that every life is precious and created for a purpose. I will support legislation that protects the lives of the unborn, supports families, strengthens our communities, and keeps our communities safe.”
When pressed about his ideological stance on Democrats’ core values, such as the issue of abortion — a key tenant of Virginia Democrats’ platform — Carey declined to elaborate and said it’s not an issue that touches the local level.
“I was not raised partisan. I was not raised as a Democrat or a Republican,” Carey said. “For me, the thing that mattered to me is serving my community. It’s something I’ve done since I was a child. Helping others where it’s appropriate to do so.
“So going from the Republican party to the Democratic party, I’m still holding on to my same value of service to my community, helping those in need where appropriate, making sure the city of Chesapeake is prepared for the next 30, 40, 50 years with strategic planning and things of that nature.”
At this time, Carey hasn’t formally filed the necessary documents to declare his bid for mayor. The deadline is June 18. Only West, who’s been officially endorsed by the Chesapeake GOP, has filed.
West told The Pilot Carey’s bid comes as a bit of a “surprise,” but believes he and Carey are professional enough to not allow the campaign to interfere with their roles on City Council.
Scott said it’s not unusual for elected leaders to change their political party, noting that many sheriffs across the commonwealth who were once Democrats have switched to the GOP and that Del. Cliff Hayes, a Democrat representing parts of Chesapeake and Portsmouth, was once a Republican, too.
“I think the problem is we try to pigeonhole people, when in reality, all of us have some values that we share with the political politics of the other party,” Scott said. “But sometimes, there are some deal breakers.”
Scott said he’s talking with more Republicans “behind the scenes” in Chesapeake as they’re frustrated with national and local leadership.
“(This) won’t be the first person that leaves the Republican Party in Chesapeake. They are in disarray,” Scott said. “And we’re going to have a lot of Republicans that are going to be joining us as Democrats because they’re fed up with the way the direction and the leadership of the party is going.”
Chesapeake City Council member Robert Ike is another Republican who didn’t receive the party’s endorsement. He told The Pilot he’s now running for reelection as an independent, noting that holding the local elections in November instead of May changes the dynamics when it comes to campaigning. Ike, who still aligns with the national GOP, said he supports Carey in his bid for mayor.
“I think he’ll make a fine mayor and I would encourage people to vote for him,” Ike said. “I think Don is the best man for the job whether he’s got a D or an R.”
Natalie Anderson, 757-732-1133, natalie.anderson@virginiamedia.com
