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American lawyer and politician Jennifer McClellan made history by becoming the first black woman to be elected to represent Virginia in Congress.
The results were announced on February 21 after the 50-year-old won the special election against pastor and Republican Leon Benjamin in Virginia's 4th district. She won against the pastor in a heavily Democratic district ranging from Richmond to the North Carolina border. Her victory significantly reduced the Republican majority in the United States House of Representatives.
According to her website, Jennifer McClellan was born on December 28, 1972, in Petersburg, Virginia. She is the daughter of parents who served in the community - her father was a professor at Virginia State University while her mother was a counselor at the same educational institution.
She dedicated her life to solving problems faced in the community from a very young age, the website mentions.
Jennifer McClellan replaced Donald McEachin in Congress
Sen. Jennifer McClellan contested the special election after Democrat Donald McEachin, who previously held the position, passed away due to complications from cancer, weeks after his re-election in November 2022.
While speaking to the news outlet NPR, McClellan shared that she is accustomed to working across party lines, noting that she has been in the minority for 14 years.
She said:
"The first step is really listening, trying to find common ground where you can and if you can't you just keep pushing until you get to the solution."
Aside from serving in Virginia's part-time General Assembly since 2006, McClellan also ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic primary for governor in 2021.
Jennifer McClellan shared that she will not remove some of McEachin's staff from their jobs.
She co-sponsored a number of important legislations passed by Democrats during their two years in complete control of the state Assembly from 2020 to 2021. This includes mandating the decarbonization of Virginia's electrical infrastructure by 2050 and overturning Republican-approved abortion regulations.
On the personal front, she is married to David Mills and the duo tied the knot in 2008. They share two children together, Jackson and Samantha. She was the first delegate to be pregnant and deliver a baby while she was working in the office.
McClellan will become the 30th black woman to enter this Congress.
