McClellan’s whirlwind congressional campaign ends with decisive, historic victory

State senator and Congresswoman-elect Jennifer McClellan made history Tuesday night with her decisive 4th Congressional District win, becoming the first Black woman to represent Virginia in Congress.

A special election was held to fill the seat of former Democratic U.S. Rep. Donald McEachin, who died shortly after being elected for his fourth term in November 2022.

“I cannot start without first paying ‘amen’ to our dear friend Donald McEachin and thank him for his service, for his mentorship,” McClellan said, starting off her victory speech. “He is with us in this room.”

McClellan defeated Republican opponent Leon Benjamin to claim the seat. The victory comes after a whirlwind campaign announced over two months ago, including a firehouse primary just one week after McClellan announced her bid. That is on top of a short, busy General Assembly session where the senator introduced 19 bills.

According to the U.S. House archives, John Mercer Langston of Louisa County took office in 1890 as the first Black man to represent Virginia in the House of Representatives. Virginia has taken over a century to send the first Black woman to the same chamber.

“It is a tremendous honor, but it is also+ a tremendous responsibility to make sure I’m not the last,” McClellan said.

McClellan will honor McEachin’s legacy when she takes office, she said. The two partnered on climate action and environmental justice projects, and she said McClellan plans to continue that work.

“He brought a servant leader’s heart to the office, and I will do that as well,” McClellan said.

U.S. Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., is excited to work with McClellan, she said Tuesday at the victory party. Spanberger partnered with McEachin on issues related to broadband connectivity and agriculture.

“The fact that she and I will be able to work on some of those issues to support Virginia really makes me very excited,” Spanberger said.

McClellan served 17 years in the General Assembly, according to her website. She was a delegate until winning a special election to fill McEachin’s vacant Senate seat in 2017. She has passed over 300 pieces of legislation, she said.

Some of her biggest accomplishments include the Voting Rights Act, the Virginia Clean Economy Act, the Reproductive Health Protection Act, and the Domestic Worker Bill of Rights, McClellan said.

Stephen Farnsworth, director of the University of Mary Washington Center for Leadership and Media Studies and a political science professor, called the victory “another landmark moment in Virginia politics.”

“She benefited from years of experience in the Virginia legislature and districts with lines that are very favorable to a Democratic candidate,” Farnsworth said.

According to unofficial election results, McClellan won the district by almost 50 percentage points, with a majority of districts reporting. Benjamin lost two previous bids against McEachin for the seat.

Benjamin’s team did not respond to multiple requests for comment for this article.

She said that McClellan would continue to focus on serving people and solving problems.

“A lot of the issues I worked on at the state level still need to be done at the federal level,” McClellan said. “So I’ll continue that work.”

On Wednesday, McClellan announced her resignation to Senate President Pro Tempore Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth. According to Lucas, a special election to fill McClellan’s vacant 9th District Senate seat will take place on March 28, ahead of when the General Assembly will reconvene in April.

All seats in the House and Senate will face an upcoming primary and then a November election.

The candidates who have announced their intent to fill the seat are Del. Dawn Adams, D-Richmond, Del. Lamont Bagby, D-Henrico, and 4th District Democratic Chair Alexsis Rodgers.

Rodgers, who organized the firehouse primary in December, released a statement to Capital News Service on McClellan’s victory.

“McClellan embodies the true spirit of Virginia and will bring her tenacity, wisdom, and legislative prowess to Capitol Hill,” Rodgers stated. “I look forward to working alongside her as we fight for the betterment of Virginians. This is a win for all of us.”

By Faith Redd

Capital News Service

Capital News Service is a program of Virginia Commonwealth University’s Robertson School of Media and Culture. Students in the program provide state government coverage for a variety of media outlets in Virginia.