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.

She will become the first black woman to represent the state of Virginia in Congress.

During her election night address to supporters, McClellan said she “looks forward to taking my 18 years of servant leadership to Washington.”

The newly elected lawmaker reflected on her work in the state legislature, including her work on the “Voting Rights Act” of Virginia and several other key progressive projects.

“All that work needs to be done in Washington,” she said, promising to promote the same ideals in her new position. “I will work to help people.”

McClellan went on to talk about her own history saying, “My Dad told me stories of listening to Franklin Roosevelt’s fireside chats and believing that the only thing he had to fear was fear itself. And then he left his house and realized he had a lot more fear in Jim Crow.”

The congressional position became vacant following the death of Democratic Rep. Donald McEachin, who passed away in November, weeks after being elected to a fourth term, after a protracted battle with colon cancer. McClellan’s victory won’t alter the slight Republican majority in the U.S. House.

The Epoch Times previously reported on the congresswoman-elect’s platform, which is consistent mainly with the Democrat party.

According to her website, McClellan will push for Congress to address “health care and abortion access,” “gun violence,” and “equity, inclusivity, and racial justice.”

McClellan has been a member of the Virginia General Assembly for 16 years, first in the House of Delegates and then in the state Senate, where she has been since 2017.

She is the sponsor of a measure that is now before the legislature to restrict energy costs based on the profitability of energy suppliers. She also sponsored legislation to make abortion a constitutional right in Virginia. Her proposed constitutional amendment failed on party lines.

Benjamin, McClellan’s opponent, ran a campaign centered on promoting family values, restoring American energy independence, protecting parents’ rights, and returning political authority to people rather than politicians, among other themes.

The Epoch Times was unable to reach McClellen for comment.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.