Brian Moran announced Wednesday that he will step down next month as state Democratic Party chairman after one term, and one candidate to replace him has already lined up major support.

State Del. Charniele Herring released a statement within hours of Moran’s announcement that her candidacy for the chairmanship has the backing of Moran and gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe, the former chairman of the Democratic National Committee. The next state party chairman will oversee the 2013 gubernatorial and state legislative elections, as well as the 2014 midterms.

Moran leaves after a cycle in which President Barack Obama carried Virginia and former Gov. Tim Kaine, a Democrat, won the state’s open Senate seat. Moran, the brother of Democratic Rep. James P. Moran, said the party over the past two years “laid the foundation to continue our momentum and elect our candidates in 2013 and beyond.”

Kaine defeated former Gov. George Allen in the Senate race by 6 points and more than 200,000 votes. Allen, who also lost his race for re-election to the Senate in 2006, told the Richmond Times-Dispatch on Monday that he will not run for public office again.