McClellan becomes 1st Black woman to represent Virginia in Congress

Democrat Jennifer McClellan won a special election to represent the state of Virginia in Congress, making history as the first black woman elected to represent this state, NBC News reported on Tuesday.

McClellan will fill the seat of Democratic Rep. Donald McEachin, who died from cancer shortly after he won re-election in November.

She served 11 years in the House of Delegates and has been a member of the state Senate since 2017; and with her win will join 29 other black women in the Congress.

Commenting on her win, McClellan stated in an interview: “I realize that in a lot of ways, I am fighting the same fight that my mom and my grandmother and my great-grandmother fought.”

“Rather than getting despondent over that or giving up, I dig deeper… I’ve got to keep fighting those fights so my daughter doesn’t have to.”; saying she sees her win as a continuation of her ancestors’ fight.

Her family’s background and previous legislative wins were reflected in her campaign, which focused on protecting voting rights and domestic workers rights, environmental protection, as well as access to abortion rights.

McClellan’s victory will be followed by another special election at a future date, in order to fill her seat in the General Assembly.