Jennifer McClellan wins Fourth District Democratic congressional nomination

State Sen. Jennifer McClellan easily won the firehouse primary held to name a Democratic Party nominee for the Fourth District congressional seat on Tuesday.

McClellan received 84.8 percent of the vote. Fellow State Sen. Joe Morrissey was a distant second with 13.6 percent.

“I am deeply honored by the trust and confidence 4th Congressional Democrats have placed in me to be their nominee, and amazed by the turnout on a cold Tuesday in December,” McClellan said in a statement on Thursday.

“The voters sent a clear message that they valued the servant leadership demonstrated by Congressman McEachin, and they want to continue such leadership in Congress. Donald McEachin was a warrior for voting rights, and it is a fitting tribute that the people of the Fourth District showed the power of democracy by turning out in unprecedented numbers on Tuesday after a one-week campaign,” McClellan said.

McClellan will face the Republican nominee, Leon Benjamin, in a Feb. 21 special election to fill the seat.

Benjamin was the Republican nominee in November’s midterm race against the Democratic incumbent Donald McEachin, who won re-election with 64.4 percent of the vote.

McEachin died on Nov. 28 from complications after a years-long battle with colorectal cancer.

The Fourth District, which stretches from the Richmond area to the North Carolina line down the I-95 corridor, is a safe Democratic district.

Should McClellan, as expected, win the special election in February, she would become the first African American woman to represent Virginia in Congress.

“There is a clear choice on Feb. 21 between the two candidates on the ballot. This election is about serving the people of the Fourth Congressional District and fighting for the issues they hold dear: protecting voting rights, civil rights, reproductive rights and workers’ rights, tackling climate change and gun violence, and providing affordable housing, healthcare, and economic opportunity for all,” McClellan said.

“I know now better than ever that special elections are unpredictable, and I ask our grassroots-powered coalition to keep it up. We need your voice and your vote on Feb. 21 to win this special election and to continue to deliver progress for the people of Virginia.”