McClellan, Morrissey formally join Democratic race for 4th District Congressional seat

Virginia State Senators Jennifer McClellan (9th District) and Joe Morrissey (16th District) Tuesday both formally entered the Democratic Primary for the Fourth Congressional District seat vacated late last month by the sudden death of Representative Donald McEachin.

McClellan and Morrissey join 74th District House of Delegates member Lamont Bagby, who announced Monday for the seat; former Democratic state delegate Joseph Preston; and Chesterfield County businessman Tavorise Marks in the race for the nomination. The Democratic Party will host a firehouse primary in just one week – on Tuesday, Dec. 20 – to select its nominee. The Fourth District is considered a Democratic stronghold, so the winner of the party primary will be a significant favorite to win the special election Feb. 21 for the right to serve McEachin's two-year term in Congress.

During her announcement Tuesday, McClellan championed herself as the experienced candidate whose qualifications are unmatched.

“The people in the 4th District deserve another champion in Congress,” McClellan said. “For the past 16 years, I’ve served the people of Virginia in the General Assembly and passed major laws to protect abortion rights, safeguard voting rights and tackle climate change. Now, I’m running for Congress to continue my friend Donald McEachin’s legacy of serving the people of Virginia and making sure their voices are heard in Washington, D.C.”

McClellan was elected to the House of Delegates in 2005, then moved to the Senate to succeed McEachin in 2017 after he was elected to Congress. She is being endorsed by three sitting members of Congress – Virginia Democrats Don Beyer (8th District), Jennifer Wexton (10th District) and Gerry Connolly (11th District) – as well as two local state delegates (Rodney Willett of Henrico and Dawn Adams of Richmond) and former Henrico delegate Viola Baskerville, among many others.

During his announcement Tuesday morning in Petersburg, Morrissey was joined by Petersburg Mayor Sam Parham, who said that although his name had appeared Monday on a list of those endorsing Bagby, he actually was endorsing Morrissey.

Morrissey has a long and unique history in local and state politics, having served in the General Assembly as the 74th District representative from 2008 to 2014. He resigned the seat in 2014 following his conviction on a misdemeanor charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor after beginning a relationship with his then-17-year-old assistant, Myrna Pride, whom he later married. But when a special election was called to fill the seat later that year, Morrissey ran from jail and won it, then served the district again in 2015 before resigning because he was running for a Virginia Senate seat outside of his district.

Morrissey then finished third in the 2016 race for Richmond mayor before earning election to the Virginia Senate in 2019.

Morrissey earned a pardon of his conviction from outgoing Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam in January, thanks in part to input from Pride, to whom he is still married and with whom he has three children.

Anyone who lives in the Fourth District can vote in the primary, which will be held from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Dec. 20 at five locations, including one in Henrico County:

• IBEW Local 666 – 1390 East Nine Mile Road, Highland Springs;

• Dogtown Dance Studio – 109 West 15th Street, Richmond;

• Diversity Richmond – 1407 Sherwood Avenue, Richmond;• Brunswick Conference Center – 100 Athletic Field Road, Lawrenceville;

• Tabernacle Baptist Church – 444 Halifax Street, Petersburg.