Democrat Jennifer McClellan coasted to victory in Virginia’s special election Tuesday, becoming the state’s first Black woman in Congress.
McClellan, a state senator and corporate lawyer, was declared the projected winner over Republican Leon Benjamin, a pastor, within 30 minutes of the polls closing, according to the Associated Press.
She will succeed Democrat Rep. A. Donald Eachin, who died last November, and represent a district anchored by Richmond that stretches south to the North Carolina border.
Once McClellan is sworn in, there will be a record 28 Black women in Congress. Her victory does not change the GOP margin in the House as Republicans still will be able to lose four GOP votes on bills and pass legislation.
Virginia voters headed to the polls on Tuesday historic election to fill the lone vacancy in the 118th Congress.
President Joe Biden won Virginia’s 4th Congressional District by roughly 35 percentage points in 2020.
That made McClellan, a corporate attorney for Verizon, the favorite against Benjamin, a pastor who lost to McEachin last year in a district anchored by Richmond that stretches south to the North Carolina border.
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Virginia’s first Black woman in Congress?
Overall, 22 states have ever elected at least one Black woman to Congress, according to the Pew Research Center.
If McClellan prevails, the 50-year-old state legislator would be the first Black woman Virginia voters have ever sent to Congress.
“Just one day left until Virginia elects the first Black woman to Congress,” McClellan boasted Monday on Twitter. “Who’s ready?”
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A Republican who called the COVID-19 pandemic a “cover-up”
- The two contenders couldn’t be more different in their beliefs.
- Benjamin is a staunch conservative who has emphasized his support for parents’ rights and school choice. He’s also the host of a conservative video program where he has often surfed into conspiracy theory waters.
- Among his past statements were refusing to concede his own 2020 election loss; espousing that the COVID-19 pandemic was a “cover-up” to establish a “new world order”; and arguing the vaccine for the disease contained a “tracking system” set up to control people using 5G cellphone networks.
McClellan challenged McAuliffe in 2021 governor primary in race ultimately won by Republican Glenn Younkin
McClellan surprised many when she challenged Terry McAuliffe in the Democratic primary for governor in 2021. McAuliffe ultimately lost to Republican Glenn Youngkin.
That race raised McClellan’s profile to the forefront of Virginia politics and, during this congressional campaign, she has leaned into progressive legislative ideas such as expanding voting rights, protecting access to abortion and environmental justice.