Kaine’s Congressional Candidate for the 4th District: The Case for a Minority-Minority Reprehendor
Virginia Democrats will choose a nominee Tuesday to fill the seat of Donald McEachin, who died just weeks after winning reelection.
The 4th Congressional District has a firehouse primary held by the party organization, rather than by election officials, in a number of pop-up voting locations.
Republicans are set to take majority control of the US House in the new year, despite the fact that the winner of the February general election in a reliably Democratic district will be the favorite.
If she is elected to congress, she would represent the state’s 4th District, which stretches south to the North Carolina border and is a majority-minority district.
Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine campaigned with McClellan, a close ally whose wedding he officiated, over the weekend and members of the Commonwealth’s Democratic congressional delegation have all endorsed her, as have Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney and other local officials. The Democrats will not know their nominee until Wednesday at the earliest.
The Campaign of Sen. Joe McClellan: The Birth of a Son, a Worker Bee, and a Legacy to Virginia
The campaign of scandal-plagued state Sen. Joe Morrissey influenced the coalescing around McClellan. His feuds with the party establishment may be part of his appeal among some disenchanted partisans, but his critics point to a more damaging history, including his resignation from the state House in 2014 after a misdemeanor conviction for contributing to the delinquency of a minor – a 17-year-old part-time staffer at his law office with whom he had sex and exchanged nude photos. He was in his mid-50s at the time, but has argued, according to a local report, that he believed the woman was 18. Morrissey has since married a woman and they have several children. The state Supreme Court upheld the revocation of Morrissey’s law license, but he still remains disbarred.
The state party held the primary on a Tuesday and this would lead to lower voter turnout, according to Morrissey. He calls himself a “worker bee” in announcing his run, while highlighting his work on criminal justice reform.
“Tuesday’s party-run process saw historic turnout with 27, 900 votes cast, making it the largest party-run nomination process in the history of the Democratic Party of Virginia,” according to the party’s website.
Glenn Youngkin, the republican governor, decided on a date for the special election last Monday, so the election will take place in February and the candidates will be selected in December.
Democrats jumped into the race with a week to go. McClellan and Morrissey are the leading contenders, largely because state Del. Lamont Bagby decided to drop out to help clear the way for McClellan, a fellow leader of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus. Bagby had shifted his support to McClellan.
McClellan was elected to the house of delegates in 2005 and won a special election for the state Senate in 2017, after McEachin was elected to congress.
McClellan said that this was a sad day as he continues to grieve a friend but also heard the call to carry on his legacy.
Democrat Jennifer McClellan, a Green Mountain State Rep., Wins an Open-Seat Representative for Vermont’s At-Large House District
The GOP nomination was won by Benjamin, a Navy veteran and pastor. He lost to McEachin a third time last month and in 2020.
FALLS CHURCH, Va. — Virginia state Sen. Jennifer McClellan has overwhelmingly won the Democratic nomination to succeed the late A. Donald McEachin in Congress, party officials said Thursday.
McClellan was supported by the establishment Democrats in her battle with the populist and twice-disbarred attorney, who’s proved remarkably resilient over three decades in electoral politics.
According to a newspaper report, the widow of McEachin was an endorser of McClellan. Del. Lamont Bagby dropped out of the race last week in a move widely seen as an effort to prevent Morrissey from emerging victorious on a fractured ballot.
The party did not begin counting the ballots until Wednesday. Counting continued through the night Wednesday, until the party announced results around 4 a.m. Thursday.
“I want all people to feel like they can have a place in government,” the Democrat told CNN in November, prior to winning an open-seat race for Vermont’s at-large district. If my breaking the glass ceilings makes people see themselves in those roles, that is really exciting to me.
Along with being the first woman in Vermont to be in Congress, she is also the first person from the Green Mountain State to be elected to Congress.
The state’s at-large House seat became vacant after Democratic incumbent Peter Welch — who was first elected in 2006 — decided on an ultimately successful Senate run to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy, who was himself first elected in 1974.
She will be the vice chair for new members of the House Progressive Caucus. She previously told CNN that her congressional priorities will include taking action to address the housing crisis and finding more resources for mental health, especially in her home state. She said that the health of the democracy is first on her list.
Jennifer McClellan, a black woman running for the United States House of Representatives, helped make the city a better place for everyone
Both Democrats and Republicans made strides in diversifying their congressional ranks in the November midterm elections, with several historic milestones reached and a record number of women elected.
McClellan said they can help people if we work on the problems rather than just talking about them. We will make the country a better place for everyone.
The heavily Democrat district, which comprises the city of Richmond, parts of Henrico County, Petersburg and south toward the state line, had been held by McEachin since 2017. He overwhelmingly defeated Benjamin in 2022 for the seat with 69.4% of the vote.
Pre- election reports show that McClellan raised more money than Benjamin in the run up to the election.
McClellan said that it was a great honor but she needed to make sure she was not the last. I have to help pave the way for other Black women, whether it’s running for federal office or running at a local or state level, and I have a responsibility to do that.
She was third in the Democratic primary for governor in 2020 after launching a bid. She said her campaign for the US House was a level up from her delegate and governor’s campaigns.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/21/politics/jennifer-mcclellan-virginia-congress/index.html
Campaigning for the Voting Rights Amendment of Virginia, which was signed into law in 1921 by Senator J.D. McClellan
“That I had that team ready to go when the special came and it made it very easy to build a very fast campaign. It’s important that a message is appealing to voters and has resources to communicate it. I was able to pull all three together within a very short amount of time, since both are equally important, and the field organization is very important.
She spearheaded the Voting Rights Act of Virginia, which was signed into law in 2021 and aimed to eliminate voter suppression and intimidation in the commonwealth. The resolution McClellan sponsored led to Virginia becoming the 38th state to approve the Equal Rights Amendment, guaranteeing equality for women under the Constitution. In 1992, the Attorney General of Virginia withdrew the state from a legal effort to get the Equal Rights Amendment added to the Constitution.
McClellan was a member of the minority party for 14 years. I have learned two things. One of the things you have to understand is why people believe what they do. And when you do that, sometimes you’ll find common ground,” she said. Start from the bottom and see how far you can go. If you can’t find common ground, then persist until you succeed, and I’ve had success doing both at the state level.”