RICHMOND — Virginia Democratic Party Chairwoman Susan Swecker, who has led the party through seven years of blue waves and a more recent red resurgence, announced Monday that she will seek reelection to the post.

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       Swecker rolled out the announcement with endorsements from key Democrats in the General Assembly. She faces four challengers, some of whom hail from the party’s left flank and are upset with the party’s losses in November, when now-Gov. Glenn Youngkin led a Republican sweep of three statewide offices and helped the GOP flip control of the House of Delegates.

       The party’s State Central Committee will elect a party chairperson for a four-year term at a virtual convention March 19.

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       “We have made so much progress as a Party and Commonwealth over the last seven years, and now is the time to protect and build upon that progress,” Swecker said in a statement. “I look forward to speaking with Virginia Democrats in the coming month on my plans on how we will take a results-driven approach to build an even stronger Democratic Party for all Virginians.”

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       Her challengers include Josh Stanfield, executive director of the liberal group Activate Virginia. Stanfield was campaign manager last year for then-Del. Lee J. Carter (D-Manassas), a self-proclaimed socialist who ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination.

       Jim McBride, a communications political strategist, member of the Fairfax County Democratic Committee and a volunteer community organizer for the Democratic National Committee, is running as well. Also in the race are Kristin Hoffman, a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy and veteran who was the state’s first organizing coordinator for Our Revolution, a national liberal group led by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and activist Rebecca Daly.

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       In her announcement, Swecker noted that the state party has grown substantially during her tenure — from four full-time staff and an annual operating budget of less than $1 million to a fully unionized, full-time staff of 15 and a budget of more than $3 million. During much of that time, especially while Donald Trump was in the White House, Virginia seemed to shift from a highly competitive swing state to one that was solidly blue.

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       Democrats continued to sweep statewide races until last fall and for two years enjoyed unified control of the state House, Senate and governorship for the first time in a generation, allowing them to pass a host of long-sought liberal priorities — including tightening restrictions on guns, loosening them on abortion and voting, abolishing the death penalty, legalizing small amounts of recreational marijuana and overhauling criminal justice laws.

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       But last fall, a year after President Biden won the state by 10 points, Youngkin led a GOP comeback.

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       Legislative leaders endorsing Swecker acknowledged those losses, while touting her as someone who can lead the charge against the new governor.

       “The successful organization Susan has built at the Democratic Party of Virginia demonstrates that she is the leader we need to stop Youngkin’s far-right agenda from rolling back the progress we have worked so hard for,” read a statement signed by Senate Majority Leader Richard L. Saslaw (Fairfax); Sen. L. Louise Lucas (Portsmouth), the chamber’s president pro tempore; Sen. Mamie E. Locke (Hampton), the Senate Democratic Caucus chairwoman; House Minority Leader Eileen Filler-Corn (Fairfax); Del. Charniele L. Herring (Alexandria), chairwoman of the House Democratic Caucus; and Del. Lamont Bagby (Henrico), chairman of the Legislative Black Caucus.

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       Former Democratic governors Ralph Northam and Terry McAuliffe both signaled their support for Swecker on Twitter. “BEST chair we’ve ever had in Virginia,” McAuliffe, who lost a comeback bid to Youngkin, tweeted Monday.

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       But Swecker’s challengers say it is time to turn the page.

       “I’m interested in making the DPVA more ‘little d’ democratic,” Hoffman said.

       “We need leadership who understand that in order for the Democratic of Party of Virginia to be treated credibly by voters, we have to make sure that our own processes are democratic,” said Stanfield, who contends the party has been too top-down. “It can’t be one person with a small clique around them making all the decisions.”

       McBride said he will raise “issues of competence inside the party that led to our loss in 2021.”