Jennifer McClellan Wins in Virginia and Will Be State’s First Black Woman in Congress

Jennifer McClellan, a veteran Democratic state senator, gained a particular election for Virginia’s Fourth Congressional District on Tuesday, based on The Related Press, making her the primary Black girl to symbolize the state in Congress.

Ms. McClellan, 50, will fill the seat previously held by Consultant A. Donald McEachin, who died Nov. 28 of colorectal most cancers. She has cited Mr. McEachin as a mentor and was extremely favored to win within the safely Democratic district, which stretches from Richmond, the place she relies, to the agricultural counties alongside Virginia’s border with North Carolina.

She defeated Leon Benjamin, a Republican Navy veteran and native pastor. Mr. Benjamin misplaced to Mr. McEachin by practically 30 factors in November.

Virginia Democrats, together with the occasion’s total congressional delegation and lots of native and statewide officers, have been fast to coalesce round Ms. McClellan’s candidacy in the course of the main in late December. Although the accelerated election calendar set by Gov. Glenn Youngkin left her marketing campaign with lower than two weeks to prove main voters, she nonetheless gained with practically 85 p.c of the vote, based on the state occasion.

Ms. McClellan centered her marketing campaign on laws she spearheaded as a state senator — points she championed, like voting rights, environmental safety and abortion entry, usually dovetailed with the nationwide Democratic platform.

“I handed laws to guard our proper to vote and our proper to a clear surroundings. I led the combat for our reproductive freedom,” Ms. McClellan stated in a tv advert. “I’ll take that very same combat with me to Congress.”

In a January opinion essay for Essence journal, Ms. McClellan additionally stated that her identification as a Black feminine lawmaker would assist form her coverage positions.

“This election isn’t nearly my lived experiences, it’s about elevating the experiences of so many whose voices haven’t been heard in our authorities,” she wrote.

Ms. McClellan, a lawyer who can be the vice chair of the Virginia legislature’s influential Black caucus, has been continuously promoted as a rising star amongst state Democrats. That is her second run for statewide workplace: In 2021, she fell brief in a crowded main for governor.

Susan Swecker, chairwoman of the Democratic Occasion of Virginia, stated in a press release on Tuesday night time: “Jennifer McClellan’s history-making victory as the primary Black girl to be elected to Congress from Virginia could have ripple results throughout the Commonwealth.”

“Her management will increase upon the excellent progress and advocacy for which we keep in mind Congressman A. Donald McEachin — I can’t consider a greater method to honor his life and legacy than with the brand new era of management that Congresswoman-elect Jennifer McClellan will carry to Washington.”