McClellan earns Democratic nomination with resounding primary win

Virginia State Senator Jennifer McClellan this week resoundingly won a Democratic firehouse primary to become the party’s nominee for the Fourth Congressional District seat in a special election Feb. 21. McClellan will face Republican Leon Benjamin for the right to serve the two-year term of Donald McEachin, who died suddenly late last month, just weeks after winning re-election.

After about 18 hours of vote tabulation, party officials announced shortly after 4 a.m. Thursday that McClellan had earned nearly 85% of the vote in Tuesday’s primary, which attracted nearly 28,000 voters at eight locations throughout the district.

State Senator Joe Morrissey was a distant second with just more than 13% of the vote. Tavorise Marks, a Chesterfield businessman, and Joseph Preston, a former state delegate from Petersburg, each earned less than 1% of the vote.

In a statement Thursday, McClellan, who represents a portion of Henrico in the Senate, thanked voters and supporters for her victory.

“I am deeply honored by the trust and confidence 4th Congressional Democrats have placed in me to be their nominee, and amazed by the turnout on a cold Tuesday in December. The voters sent a clear message that they valued the servant leadership demonstrated by Congressman McEachin, and they want to continue such leadership in Congress.  Donald McEachin was a warrior for voting rights, and it is a fitting tribute that the people of the 4th District showed the power of democracy by turning out in unprecedented numbers on Tuesday after a one week campaign."

I especially want to thank [Donald McEachin's wife] Colette McEachin for placing her faith in me to continue Donald’s fight for justice, opportunity, and a better future for all. I know that Donald is watching over us all today with a big, warm smile. The Fourth Congressional District of Virginia made history 134 years ago by sending John Mercer Langston as the first Black member of Congress from Virginia. Now, we are ready to make history again."

“There is a clear choice on February 21 between the two candidates on the ballot. This election is about serving the people of the 4th Congressional District and fighting for the issues they hold dear: protecting voting rights, civil rights, reproductive rights and workers’ rights, tackling climate change and gun violence, and providing affordable housing, healthcare, and economic opportunity for all. I know now better than ever that special elections are unpredictable, and I ask our grassroots-powered coalition to keep it up. We need your voice and your vote on February 21 to win this special election and to continue to deliver progress for the people of Virginia.”

Benjamin, who lost the previous two general elections to McEachin by wide margins, won a Republican canvass last weekend for the right to try again in an overwhelmingly Democratic district, which stretches from Henrico County to Chesapeake.

McClellan is viewed as a heavy favorite to win the special election, and she would become the first Black woman elected to the U.S. House from Virginia if she does. Benjamin would become the fourth Black man to serve from Virginia in the House, joining McEachin, current Third District Congressman Bobby Scott, and Langston, who served for two years in the late 1800s.

McClellan was first elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 2005, then won her Senate seat in 2017 when McEachin vacated it to run for Congress. She sought the Democratic nomination for governor in 2021 but finished third in a party primary to former governor and eventual Democratic nominee Terry McAuliffe.

Speculation about who could replace McClellan in the Virginia Senate, should she win the special election in Febryuary, naturally is focused on Henrico Delegate Lamont Bagby, who was first to announce for the Fourth District seat earlier this month, but then pulled out of the race three days later to endorse McClellan. Bagby is the chair of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus and McClellan the vice chair.