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Virginia's 4th congressional district | |||||||||||||||||
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 County and independent city results Precinct resultsMcClellan: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Benjamin: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Tie: 40–50% No votes | |||||||||||||||||
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The2023 Virginia's 4th congressional district special election was a special election to theU.S. House of Representatives that was held to fillVirginia's 4th congressional district for the remainder of the118th United States Congress. The seat became vacant after incumbentDemocratDonald McEachin died on November 28, 2022, ofcolorectal cancer.[1][2] State SenatorJennifer McClellan was declared the victor shortly after the polls closed, winning in a landslide against her Republican opponent.
In the United States, vacancies in the House must be filled by special elections. Under Virginia law, the governor schedules the special election and political parties handle their nominating processes themselves. On December 12, 2022, GovernorGlenn Youngkin announced that the special election would take place on February 21, 2023.[3] According to thewrit of election, party nominees and other prospective candidates had until December 23 to file to run in the special election.[4]
The Fourth Congressional District Democratic Committee, responsible for choosing a nominee by December 23, organized an unassembled caucus, or "firehouse primary," on December 20 with a filing deadline of December 16.[5] According to theDemocratic Party of Virginia, the race saw the highest turnout in a "firehouse primary" in Virginia history.[6]
The solid Democratic lean of the district meant that victory in the primary was seen astantamount to election. Political analysts perceived the short timeline between the writ of election and the primary date as beneficial to candidates with institutional support. The major candidates in the primary were state senatorsJennifer McClellan, who was considered to be the establishment favorite, and "firebrand"Joe Morrissey. Morrissey criticized the lack of polling locations in his Senate district and his campaign paid for a radio ad encouraging Republicans to vote for him.[7]
McClellan won with 85% of the vote to Morrissey's 14%.[8]
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| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jennifer McClellan | 23,661 | 84.8 | |
| Democratic | Joe Morrissey | 3,782 | 13.6 | |
| Democratic | Tavorise Marks | 217 | 0.8 | |
| Democratic | Joseph Preston | 174 | 0.6 | |
| Unallocated | 66 | 0.2 | ||
| Total votes | 27,900 | 100.0 | ||
The Fourth Congressional District Republican Committee, responsible for choosing a nominee by December 23, held acanvass event inColonial Heights on December 17.[32]
Despite already being regarded as a safe seat, McClellan still managed to widen the margin from the previous election in the district, winning with the largest percentage of votes in any federal election in the state since 2020 and the largest of any special election since 1946. Being a special election in an off year that comes with turnout downturn, McClellan won about three quarters of the total vote, while Benjamin slid to just a quarter of the vote, losing for the third time in a row. McClellan swept every county in the district except forColonial Heights City andPrince George County.
After winning the special election, McClellan was sworn in on March 7, 2023, becoming the first black congresswoman from theCommonwealth of Virginia.[34][35]
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[36] | Solid D | December 22, 2022 |
| Inside Elections[6] | Solid D | December 22, 2022 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[37] | Safe D | December 20, 2022 |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jennifer McClellan | 82,040 | 74.41% | +9.49 | |
| Republican | Leon Benjamin | 28,083 | 25.47% | −9.43 | |
| Write-in | 129 | 0.12% | −0.06 | ||
| Total votes | 110,252 | 100.00% | |||
| Democratichold | |||||
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