Princess Blanding, an activist and the sister of Marcus-David Peters who was shot and killed by Richmond Police in May 2018, has officially announced a third-party bid for governor of Virginia in the 2021 Gubernatorial Election. 

Blanding announced her candidacy in a video on Tuesday. She will be running as the nominee for the Liberation Party, a newly formed party that will focus on progressive reforms in areas such as public safety, racial and economic justice, and criminal justice.

Several news sources have incorrectly labeled Blanding as a Libertarian candidate despite the fact that the Virginia Libertarian Party is not a new party nor are there any candidates currently running for the Libertarian nomination.

Blanding has said she is running as a third-party candidate because the two-party system has failed the people of Virginia and blocks needed changes.

Blanding’s brother was killed by police when he charged an officer during a mental health crisis, which prompted her to found Justice and Reformation, a grassroots organization advocating for mental health care and accountability in policing. The group is primarily focused in Richmond but has worked to shift policy across the Commonwealth of Virginia. Blanding worked closely with members of the General Assembly to achieve legislative reforms like the “Marcus Alert”, which was recently signed by Governor Ralph Northam and establishes a statewide response system for those experiencing mental health crises.

Blanding has stated that she is not satisfied with the end result because of what was lost during the legislative process.

A teacher in Northern Virginia, Blanding is also a single mother who lives with her three daughters in Middlesex County. She’s worked in education for 13 years and was an administrator at Essex High School, where her brother taught biology. She left the school shortly after his death.

According to her website, her campaign will focus on issues surrounding criminal justice reform, public safety, racial justice, environmental justice, education, housing, healthcare, LGBTQ+ rights, food sovereignty, and labor.

Blanding is joining a field that currently includes four Democrats and four Republicans. If elected, she will be the first woman to serve as Governor of Virginia as well as the first Black woman to serve as Governor of any state. The same is true for Fmr. Delegate Jennifer Carroll Foy and State Senator Jennifer McClellan. As of now, she is the only third-party candidate.