Morrissey’s opponents in the race have taken varied stances on the city’s monuments to the Confederacy.

Former Secretary of the Commonwealth Levar Stoney has said he supports discussing the issue and suggested that such a discussion should begin with the Davis statue. Councilman Jonathan T. Baliles has proposed establishing a commission to decide how to handle the memorials.

Jack Berry, the former director of Venture Richmond, said he opposed removing the memorial, prompting Morrissey to challenge him to a one-on-one debate on Sept. 27. Berry declined.

The removal of Confederate statues is complicated by a state law meant to prevent localities from moving or altering war memorials. However, it’s unclear how far the ban goes in limiting what local governments can and can’t do with their statues.

This year, Gov. Terry McAuliffe vetoed a bill that would have clarified that the law protects statues built before the ban was passed in 1998. The question arose after a Danville judge found that the law did not apply retroactively as part of a case involving a Confederate flag previously flown over the Sutherlin Mansion, known as the last capitol of the Confederacy.

The Virginia Supreme Court announced late last week that it will not rehear an appeal of the Danville judge’s decision.