Republican formally announces, but the likely Democratic challenger could wind up redrawn out of the district

The race to replace Del. Riley E. Ingram in the 62nd House District is starting to take shape, at least on the Republican side, while the probable Democratic frontrunner has to wait and see if she will be redistricted out.

Carrie Coyner, a member of the Chesterfield School Board, formally announced her candidacy Wednesday to seek the GOP nomination. She could face Sheila Bynum-Coleman in November, but Bynum-Coleman said Wednesday that a pending federal court ruling on racially gerrymandered Virginia House districts could wind up landing her in either the 27th or 66th House districts.

"Right now, I am running in the 62nd," Bynum-Coleman said Wednesday. If it turns out her residence is relocated to the 27th or 66th, she said she will refile as a Democratic candidate in either of those districts.

The 62nd, as currently drawn, includes portions of Hopewell, Prince George and southern/southeastern Chesterfield.

Ingram, a member of the House of Delegates for 26 years, has said this year will be his last in Richmond.

The 27th and 66th seats are now held by Republicans — Roxann Robinson in the 27th, and House Speaker M. Kirkland Cox in the 66th. The 27th extends from southwest Chesterfield to the Richmond suburbs, and the 66th includes portions of central and south Chesterfield, and the entire city of Colonial Heights.

The Eastern District Court of Virginia, which had declared the 11 districts unconstitutional, is expected to rule this spring on a map plan it ordered drawn after the House of Delegates stalemated on adopting its own map.

In the meantime, Coyner, who had been backed by Ingram as his successor, made her campaign official Wednesday afternoon. She said she will run on a platform of finding and promoting common ground among the diverse communities of the 62nd.

“I am committed to making the voices of all residents heard in the House of Delegates and advocating to make the 62nd District the best place to live, work and raise a family,” Coyner said in a statement.

Coyner, an attorney, has served as the Bermuda District representative on the School Board since 2012. In her announcement, she cited her record of supporting the 2013 county bond referendum that resulted in a new Enon Elementary School and a soon-to-be new Harrowgate Elementary School, and a push for reduced class sizes, equity in education and removing barriers for disabled students and students whose first language is not English.

Bynum-Coleman, owner of a Chesterfield-based construction company, has run twice before for the 62nd District — in 2015 and 2017 against Ingram. The district has been traditionally Republican-leaning, but Bynum-Coleman and her fellow Democrats were heartened by the results of the 2017 race, which saw her lose by a relatively close 800 votes, as proof that the seat could turn blue in 2019.

Bill Atkinson may be reached at 804-722-5167 or batkinson@progress-index.com. Follow him on Twitter at @BAtkinsonpi.