by Madison Hirneisen
Virginia State Sen. Jennifer McClellan, D-Richmond, will face Republican challenger Leon Benjamin in a special election Tuesday to fill the 4th Congressional District seat left vacant by the death of Democratic Rep. Donald McEachin.
The 4th congressional district, which stretches from Richmond to the North Carolina border, has had a Democratic representative since 2016 when McEachin was first elected to Congress. Leading up to the November election in 2022 when McEachin won reelection just weeks before his death, Cook Political Report designated the seat “solid Democrat.”
If McClellan is elected, she will make history as the first Black woman to represent Virginia in Congress. According to a recent analysis from Pew Research, 22 states have elected a Black woman to Congress.
Benjamin, a conservative pastor and Navy veteran who has never held elected office, ran for the 4th District seat in the 2020 and 2022 election cycles, but was defeated by McEachin both times. McEachin declined to debate Benjamin ahead of the 2022 election because Benjamin would not concede the 2020 election results – in the 4th district congressional race or in the presidential race.
Benjamin or McClellan would become the fourth Black member of Congress to represent Virginia.
The two candidates hold differing views on several issues, including on abortion and education. In his campaign platform, Benjamin describes himself as “pro-life,” while McClellan’s legislative priorities include fighting for reproductive rights and abortion access. During the current legislative session, McClellan introduced a constitutional amendment to enshrine the “right to reproductive freedom” in the Virginia Constitution.
On education, McClellan’s legislative priorities in the General Assembly have included fully funding K-12 schools and improving Virginia’s child care system. If elected to Congress, McClellan’s campaign platform says she will support federal investments to improve child care and fight for education funding for Virginia.
Benjamin’s platform states that he supports school choice and believes “the money should follow the child.”
McClellan overwhelmingly defeated other challengers in a firehouse primary in December, where she won roughly 85% of the vote. Nearly 28,000 voters cast votes in the December primary – a turnout in a party-run primary that leaders of the Virginia Democratic Party deemed historic.
Liam Watson, press secretary for the Democratic Party of Virginia, told The Center Square on Monday that “it’s hard to pin down” what to expect in terms of turnout for Tuesday’s election, but said “folks across the fourth district are excited that Senator McClellan is on the ballot, and they’re excited to send her to Congress and make history by electing the first Black female member of Congress from the Commonwealth.”
“McClellan is committed to continuing his [McEachin’s] legacy of service and to breaking barriers as the first Black woman to be a member of Congress from the Commonwealth,” Watson said. “With all historic or barrier-breaking elections, we think most about what it means for the next generation of leaders. We think most about what it means for the next generation of leaders to see someone who looks like them in a position of power.”
A spokesperson for the Republican Party of Virginia did not respond within deadline to requests for comment from The Center Square regarding Tuesday’s special election.
Voters in the 4th congressional district can cast votes Tuesday at polling locations between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m.
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Madison Hirneisen is a staff reporter covering Virginia and Maryland for The Center Square. Madison previously covered California for The Center Square out of Los Angeles, but recently relocated to the DC area.
Photo “Leon Benjamin” by Leon Benjamin. Photo “Jennifer McClellan” by Jennifer McClellan. Background Photo “United States Capitol” by Ramaz Bluashvili.
