Virginia state Sen. Jennifer McClellan (D) is projected to defeat her Republican opponent on Tuesday to become the state’s first black woman to represent the state in Congress, according to the Associated Press and early vote counts.
McClellan, 50, led Republican Leon Benjamin by about 40 percentage points on Saturday during a special election to fill the vacant seat by the death of Rep. Donald McEachin (D). McEachin died of cancer in November, shortly after he was elected to a fourth term.
His victory, while expected in a blue district that included Richmond, was a milestone in Virginia politics. McClellan painted his bid as an honor heavy with the responsibility of being the first Black in the country to go to Congress, pointing to his family’s experience in the Jim Crow era. She told The Associated Press that her father and grandfather had to pay poll taxes and that her mother could not vote until the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
“It’s poetic justice, thinking about what not only the family has gone through, but what our country has gone through,” McClellan told The Washington Post after he described the victory. “Being the first black woman from Virginia, which was the birthplace of American democracy but also the birthplace of American slavery.”
His victory was welcomed by the Virginia Democratic Party.
“Jennifer McClellan’s history-making victory as the first Black woman elected to Congress from Virginia will have a ripple effect across the Commonwealth,” Susan Swecker, party chair, said in a statement Tuesday night. “His leadership will amplify the remarkable progress and advocacy for which we remember Congressman A. Donald McEachin – I can think of no better way to honor his life and legacy.”
McClellan has been a state legislator since 2006, sponsoring many Democratic initiatives, including bills that improve voting access and abortion rights. He continued his clean energy initiatives and promised to pursue similar efforts while in Congress.
Only three blacks have represented Virginia in Congress. McClellan will join 29 other black women currently in the House of Representatives.
“It’s a huge honor, and a responsibility, to make sure I’m not the last,” he told AP.