Jennifer McClellan | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2023 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromVirginia's4th district | |
| Assumed office March 7, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Donald McEachin |
| Member of theVirginia Senate from the9th district | |
| In office January 13, 2017 – March 7, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Donald McEachin |
| Succeeded by | Lamont Bagby |
| Member of theVirginia House of Delegates from the71st district | |
| In office January 11, 2006 – January 13, 2017 | |
| Preceded by | Viola Baskerville |
| Succeeded by | Jeff Bourne |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Jennifer Leigh McClellan (1972-12-28)December 28, 1972 (age 52) Petersburg, Virginia, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | University of Richmond (BA) University of Virginia (JD) |
| Signature |  |
| Website | House website Campaign website |
Jennifer Leigh McClellan (born December 28, 1972) is an American politician and attorney serving as theU.S. representative forVirginia's 4th congressional district since 2023. A member of theDemocratic Party, she represented the9th district in theVirginia State Senate from 2017 to 2023 and the71st district in theVirginia House of Delegates from 2009 to 2017. She ran in the Democratic primary forgovernor of Virginia in the2021 election, losing to former governorTerry McAuliffe.[1]
McClellan was the Democratic nominee in the2023 Virginia's 4th congressional district special election,[1][2] and defeated Republican nominee Leon Benjamin with 74.4% of the vote.[3] She is the first Black woman elected to Congress from Virginia.[4]
McClellan was born inPetersburg, Virginia.[5] Her father, James Fennimore McClellan Jr., was a professor atVirginia State University, where her mother, Lois Dedeaux McClellan, worked as a counselor.[6] Both her parents were involved incivil rights activism.[7] She attendedMatoaca High School inChesterfield County, where she wasvaledictorian.[8]
She earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and political science from theUniversity of Richmond in 1994, and aJuris Doctor from theUniversity of Virginia School of Law in 1997.[9][10]
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After law school, McClellan began practicing law atHunton & Williams.[8] She has also worked as regulatory counsel forVerizon Communications.[11]
In 2005, she ran for office for the first time, seeking the Virginia House of Delegates seat vacated byViola Baskerville, who stepped down to run forlieutenant governor of Virginia. McClellan won the election and from 2006 to 2017 represented the 71st district in the House of Delegates, which comprised parts of the city ofRichmond andHenrico County.[8][12]
McClellan has served as vice chair of the Democratic Party of Virginia.[13] As the highest-ranking female party officer, she was also automatically a member of theDemocratic National Committee (DNC). As a DNC member, she was asuperdelegate to the2008 Democratic National Convention.[14] She has also served as vice chair of theVirginia Legislative Black Caucus[15] and became the first pregnant Virginia delegate to participate in a legislative session.[8]
McClellan was an outspoken critic of GovernorBob McDonnell's efforts to overhaul Virginia's pension system in 2012. She opposed the cuts to retirement benefits for teachers and public safety employees, and argued that Republican lawmakers had rushed the legislation to minimize any scrutiny from Democrats andlabor unions.[16][17]
McClellan was elected to the Virginia Senate in a special election on January 10, 2017, to fill the 9th district seat vacated byDonald McEachin's election to theU.S. House of Representatives. She defeatedLibertarian Party nominee Corey Fauconier.[18] In the race, she was endorsed by McEachin, as well as Richmond MayorLevar Stoney, U.S. SenatorsTim Kaine andMark Warner, and GovernorTerry McAuliffe.[19] Her seat was once held by former governorDouglas Wilder.
In 2019, McClellan co-sponsored theRepeal Act, which would have lifted some of Virginia's restrictions onabortion.[20] In 2020, she introduced legislation to help end theschool-to-prison pipeline by trainingschool resource officers in adolescent psychology.[21] She has also sponsored theVirginia Clean Economy Act[22] and theVoting Rights Act of Virginia, both of which were signed into law. She called the passage of the Voting Rights Act "a huge victory for our democracy. While other states are threatening voting rights, Virginia took a major step today to protect the right to vote."[23] She led the commissioning of theEmancipation and Freedom Monument, which was installed onBrown's Island in September 2021.[24]
In June 2020, McClellan announced her candidacy forgovernor of Virginia in2021.[12] In a Democratic primary debate atVirginia State University, she called herself a "nominee who will excite and expand our base. I’ve spent 31 years building this party and electing Democrats at the local, state and national level. It’s not enough to give someone something to vote against. We’ve got to give people something to vote for."[25] Her campaign was attacked by Senate colleagueAmanda Chase, who claimed that McClellan's leadership role in the Legislative Black Caucus disqualified her from representing all Virginians as governor (Chase was latercensured for herracist remark, among other controversies).[26]
Former governorTerry McAuliffe, whose transition team McClellan led when he waselected in 2013,[27] won the nomination, with former state delegateJennifer Carroll Foy taking a distant second place and McClellan not far behind in third.[28] McAuliffe went on to narrowly lose the general election to Republican nomineeGlenn Youngkin.[29] Had either McClellan or Carroll Foy won the election, she would have become the firstfemale governor of Virginia, the secondBlack governor of Virginia afterDouglas Wilder, and the first Black female U.S. governor.[30]
McClellan was the Democratic nominee in the 2023 special election forVirginia's 4th congressional district;[2][31] the seat became vacant when incumbentDonald McEachin died fromcolorectal cancer on November 28, 2022. She won afirehouse primary on December 20, 2022, then defeated pastor Leon Benjamin in the general election on February 21, 2023.[32][33][34] She is the first Black woman elected to Congress from Virginia.[35] She was sworn in on March 7, 2023.[36][37]
McClellan married David Mills on November 15, 2008.[44][45] Her mentor,Tim Kaine, officiated the wedding ceremony.[8] She and her husband live in Richmond with their two children. She is aPresbyterian.[10]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jennifer McClellan | 7,849 | 91.3 | |
| Libertarian | Corey Falconer | 692 | 8.1 | |
| Total votes | 8,596 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jennifer McClellan (incumbent) | 49,451 | 80.1 | |
| Libertarian | Mark Lewis | 11,707 | 19.0 | |
| Total votes | 61,771 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Terry McAuliffe | 307,367 | 62.10 | |
| Democratic | Jennifer Carroll Foy | 98,052 | 19.81 | |
| Democratic | Jennifer McClellan | 58,213 | 11.76 | |
| Democratic | Justin Fairfax | 17,606 | 3.56 | |
| Democratic | Lee J. Carter | 13,694 | 2.77 | |
| Total votes | 494,932 | 100.0 | ||
| 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 | ||
| 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 | 100.0 | |||
| Democratichold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jennifer McClellan (incumbent) | 252,885 | 67.34 | −7.07 | |
| Republican | William Moher III | 121,814 | 32.44 | +6.97 | |
| Write-in | 809 | 0.22 | +0.10 | ||
| Total votes | 375,508 | 100.0 | |||
| Democratichold | |||||
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromVirginia's 4th congressional district 2023–present | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | United States representatives by seniority 362nd | Succeeded by |
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| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
