‘READY TO GET TO WORK’

Jennifer McClellan Elected Virginia’s First Black Congresswoman in Special Election

Jennifer McClellan fills a seat left empty by U.S. Rep. A Donald McEachin, who died in November.

Jennifer McClellan won a special election for Virginia’s Fourth Congressional District on Tuesday, the Associated Press reported, making her the first Black woman to represent the state in Congress. A Democrat and longtime presence in the Virginia state legislature, McClellan will take the seat previously held by Rep. A. Donald McEachin (D), who died of cancer in November. Her victory over Republican nominee Leon Benjamin was widely expected in the blue-leaning district, which is anchored by Richmond. “We will make this commonwealth and this country a better place for everyone,” McClellan said in a victory speech at a party, according to the AP. “I am ready to get to work.” McClellan, 50, served over a decade in the state’s House of Delegates, and became a state senator in 2017. While there, her legislative priorities crystallized around voting access, education, climate protection, and abortion rights, issues she emphasized in her congressional campaign. “I’ll take that same fight with me to Congress,” she promised in a campaign ad for television.