Shannon Taylor | |
|---|---|
| Commonwealth's Attorney for Henrico County | |
| Assumed office January 1, 2012 | |
| Preceded by | Wade Kizer |
| Personal details | |
| Born | November 17,1967 |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | University of Virginia (BA) University of Richmond (JD) |
Shannon Leigh Taylor (born November 17,1967) is an American attorney and prosecutor serving as the Commonwealth's Attorney for Henrico County,Virginia since 2012. She is a graduate of the University of Virginia and the University of Richmond School of Law. In 2011,she announced her campaign for the 2011 Henrico County Commonwealth's Attorney election,winning against Bill Janis and Matthew Geary,and subsequently being reelected in 2015,2019,and 2023. Taylor ran for the Democratic Party nomination for Attorney General of Virginia in the June 2025 election,but narrowly lost to fellow Democrat Jay Jones. [1]
A native of Charlottesville Virginia,Taylor attended the University of Virginia and received a bachelor's degree majoring in international relations in 1989. After graduating,Taylor moved to Richmond,Virginia and worked at Hunton &Williams as a paralegal before attending University of Richmond School of Law and receiving her Juris Doctor in 1995.
Shannon began her legal career as a prosecutor in the City of Richmond Commonwealth's Attorney Office and later served as Special Assistant in the United States Attorney's Office in 1999 and again from 2002-2004.
After leaving the U.S. Attorney's Office,Shannon served as Special Counsel for the Richmond Multi-Jurisdictional Grand Jury from 2004-2008.
On August 11,2011,Taylor announced her candidacy for the 2011 Henrico County Commonwealth's Attorney election with only 11 weeks to go before the election. The office was an open contest as the incumbent,Wade A. Kizer,announced that he would be suspending his candidacy for his fifth term. Her opponent was attorney Matthew Geary,who was a law school classmate and had been campaigning since 2009,and later Bill Janis,who announced his campaign days later.[4][5]
Taylor won an upset victory over both,receiving 25,975 votes while Janis received 21,540 votes and Geary received 9,045 votes. [2] Some,including Taylor,attributed the win to the split Republican votes between Geary and Janis. Taylor is the first woman to hold the position in Henrico County.
Taylor planned to make the office more diverse and to create cooperation between the office and police. In 2015,Taylor announced that she would be running for a second term,remaining unopposed in the Democratic primary. She faced prosecutor Tony Pham,who won the Republican primary against Jeffrey Lee Everhart and Shannon Dillon. Pham took aim at Taylor's leadership but ultimately lost in the general election. [3]
Taylor ran for a third term in 2019,facing against Owen Inge Conway,a lawyer she fired when she initially took office. [4] Taylor won against Conway with 62.68% of the vote.
Taylor currently serves as President of the Virginia Association of Commonwealth's Attorneys. [5]
On June 7,2020,a man drove his truck into a crowd of peaceful protesters. [6] The perpetrator was an admitted leader of the Ku Klux Klan. Taylor announced charges of assault,battery,attempted malicious wounding,and felony vandalism. He was found guilty and sentenced to six years in prison. [7]
In 2020,there was speculation of whether Taylor would run for the 2021 Virginia Attorney General election. In December 2020,Taylor released a statement that she would not run for attorney general. [8] In January 2021,she announced that she would endorse Mark Herring,the incumbent attorney general. [9]
In 2024,Taylor announced her campaign for Virginia Attorney General. In April 2025,Taylor’s campaign reported over $1 million in donations. [10] Taylor received $650,000 from Dominion Energy,an electric utility monopoly regulated by the state,making the company her top donor. [11] The Attorney General’s office plays a significant role in regulating public service corporations,including electric and gas utilities,often representing consumers in proceedings before the State Corporation Commission. In the same period,Dominion contributed $300,000 to her Republican opponent,Jason Miyares,making the utility the top donor to both candidates. [12]
Her campaign launched an advertisement on June 6,2025,declaring her to be “the only democrat who has prosecuted a criminal case”and to have “taken on”the NRA and Neo Nazis. Taylor’s prosecution of a white nationalist for using a torch to intimidate counter protesters at a white nationalist rally resulted in a mistrial. [13]
Taylor’s record as Henrico County Commonwealth’s Attorney has also faced scrutiny. In 2014,her office pursued felony charges against eight high school students involved in a prank using chocolate syrup,rice,flour,and eggs. The decision drew criticism from community members who argued that the charges were excessively punitive. The case became part of broader concerns about racial disparities in the county’s school disciplinary and criminal referral practices. That same year,while Black students made up 39% of Henrico’s student population,they accounted for 80% of school-related arrests. In response to public concerns,Henrico School Board member John W. Montgomery Jr. noted that the decision to arrest or press charges typically involved both the police and the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office,then led by Taylor. [14]
Taylor’s campaign lists safety,abortion rights,and lowering costs as priorities.
In 2013,Taylor released a statement that she had requested the judge to appoint a special prosecutor to the case involving Joe Morrissey and his sexual relationship with a minor. [15] Taylor thought that in order for the public to have complete confidence and trust in the proceedings,it was appropriate for decisions to be made by someone outside of Henrico County and that had no prior relationships with the individuals potentially involved.
In 2016,Morrissey exposed himself to a legal client. [16] Taylor began an investigation and later said that although Morrissey was "wrong and unethical" he would not be charged. [17]
In June 2020,Taylor announced that her office would add a new deputy for police integrity to review police use of force accusations,investigate and review body-worn camera footage,and help determine whether charges are appropriate. [18] She created it in response to the murder of George Floyd the previous month,and began looking for a deputy to fill the office. She appointed attorney Misty Whitehead,a Black Lives Matter supporter,to fill the position,but had funding pulled by County Manager John Vithoulkas after taking issue with private defense attorney Misty Whitehead's social media posts,which included comments about the Breonna Taylor case;questioning her ability –and objectivity –to serve in the role. [19]
In October 2020,protesters gathered at former rival Tony Pham's house to protest Pham's campaign against immigrants as he had become the Acting Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in August. [20] Many protesters were arrested for trespassing and littering,with many other participants refuting the accusations. Many called Taylor to release the arrested protesters.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Shannon Taylor | 25,975 | 45.85% | |
| Independent | Bill Janis | 21,540 | 38.02% | |
| Republican | Matthew Geary | 9,045 | 15.97% | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Shannon Taylor | 35,020 | 56.10% | |
| Republican | Tony Pham | 27,272 | 43.69% | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Shannon Taylor | 65,296 | 62.68% | |
| Republican | Owen Conway | 38,582 | 37.03% | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Shannon Taylor | 65,034 | 61.51% | |
| Republican | Shannon L. Dillon | 40,321 | 13.13% | |