A house divided cannot stand.

History has shown that when a field becomes too crowded with African-American candidates, we diminish our political strength and lessen the impact of our vote.

We celebrate the talent and drive of the three out- standing African-American candidates who have entered the race for Virginia governor — Richmond state Sen. Jennifer McClellan, former Delegate Jennifer Carroll Foy of Prince William County and Lt. Gov. Justin E. Fairfax. They all bring noteworthy résumés of public service to the table.

But we all must be cognizant of the political reality with former Gov. Terry McAuliffe entering the race on Wednesday. During his announcement held at a Richmond elementary school, he was flanked by two power brokers in the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus — Sen. L. Louise Lucas, president pro tempore of the state Senate, and Delegate Charniele L. Herring of Alexandria, majority leader of the House of Delegates.

By all accounts, the former governor is the big dog in the race—the one to beat in a four-way Democratic primary. He enters the race with statewide name recognition and the warm feeling of voters from already having a successful four years in the job. He also has the support, bankroll and campaign structure to claim the Democratic nomination and head into a November 2021 bout with the GOP.

The three others need to cover a lot of ground to catch up.

Frankly, we are pleased to see three African-Americans who are ready to vie for the role of the state’s chief executive. And we believe there is room for each of them to serve in a significant capacity in the state — just not all at the top.

We believe the political talent and skills of these candidates should be spread out to provide the most benefit for our community and not squeezed through a funnel that may damage someone’s political future. When multiple strong candidates are packed in a race and have to slug it out, everybody gets bruised.

It also can be a waste of energy, dollars and future influence to have all three going for the same position. A better strategy is needed.

We hope they can come to some understanding early in the election cycle that will provide for a greater outcome for people of color and all Virginians.