Democrat Jennifer McClellan Wins House Seat in Virginia Special Election

A man walks to use a voting booth March 1, 2016, at one of the Virginia primary election polling stations at Colin Powell Elementary School, in Centreville, Va. Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Images

Democrat Jennifer McClellan, a state lawmaker from Richmond, was elected by Virginia voters this week to fill a vacancy in the U.S. House of Representatives.

McClellan, 50, defeated right-wing Republican challenger Leon Benjamin in the Feb. 21 special election for the blue-leaning 4th Congressional District, which includes the capital city and goes south to the North Carolina border.