History was made in the state of Virginia recently! Jennifer McClellan became the first Black woman to represent Virginia in Congress.
Virginia Democratic state Sen. Jennifer McClellan cruised to an easy victory in Tuesday's special election for Virginia's 4th Congressional District, making her the first Black woman to represent the state in Congress. The race was called shortly after polls closed by the Associated Press.
In an interview Tuesday morning, the attorney noted her new district was also the first in Virginia to send a Black man to Congress, when voters sent John Mercer Langston to the House of Representatives in 1888.
"It blows my mind that we're still having firsts in 2023," McClellan said. "But it is an incredible honor."
McClellan (Democratic Party) ran in a special election to the U.S. House to represent Virginia's 4th Congressional District. She won in the special general election on February 21, 2023 and took office March 7, 2023.
After her swearing in ceremony, she commented on the historical occasion, noting that Virginia was once a Confederate and Jim Crow state.
In an emotional speech on the House floor following her swearing in, McClellan recounted her rise in politics as the “daughter and granddaughter of men who paid poll taxes and the great granddaughter of a man who took a literacy test and had to find three White men to vouch for him to be able to vote.”
“I stand on the shoulders of my parents, grandparents, and great grandparents, recognizing that in a lot of ways I am fighting the same fights that they did,” she said. “And I stand here to ensure that my children and yours don’t have to fight those same fights.”
McClellan’s election also adds to what is already a record number of women and women of color in Congress, and sets a new record for the number of Black women, according to data from the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University
Today, the spotlight is on an excellent Black legislator — Rep. Jennifer McClellan!
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Rep. Jennifer McClellan (Virginia-4)
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McClellan — A Biography of Black Excellence
There are quite a few places to find out information about Rep. Jennifer McClellan. I am using Wikipedia as a starting point for her early life and career before she entered politics. She received a political education long before she became interested in running for office!
McClellan was born in Petersburg, Virginia.[5] Her father, James Fennimore McClellan Jr., was a professor at Virginia State University, where her mother, Lois Dedeaux McClellan, also worked as a counselor.[6] Both her parents were involved in civil rights activism.[7] She attended Matoaca High School in Chesterfield County, where she was valedictorian.[8] She earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and political science from the University of Richmond in 1994, and a Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1997.[9][10]
Rep. Jennifer McClellan has been a leader in the Richmond community for a long time. Her campaign website goes into detail about her leadership roles outside of politics.
As a community leader at the local, state, and national level, McClellan has served on a wide variety of non-profit and civic organizations’ boards, including the YWCA of Richmond, the Virginia League of Planned Parenthood, the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia, the Children’s Museum of Richmond, and the Robert Russa Moton Museum. She is also a member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Her record includes her time as a Virginia delegate and as a Virginia state senator. Her official House website has the goods on her tenure during this time.
She was first elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 2005 and served in that post until she was elected to the Virginia State Senate in 2017, where she succeeded A. Donald McEachin after his election to the U.S. House of Representatives.
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Throughout her eighteen sessions in the Virginia General Assembly, McClellan passed over 370 pieces of legislation, including landmark bills to protect and expand voting rights, combat climate change, preserve reproductive health care, and enhance workers’ protections and labor rights.
Sen. Tim Kaine is her political mentor, and even wed McClellan to her husband! She is a campaign advisor to President Biden, and that requires serious connections to reach that level. Here, she outlines the strategy to stay quiet during the indictments of one Donald J. Trump.
The special election was scheduled because Rep. Donald McEachin regrettably passed away from colorectal cancer late in 2022. She was tasked with defeating an anti-abortion conservative Democratic candidate, and she crushed him in the firehouse primary election. That was tantamount to election in this VRA mandated seat in the Richmond area.
McClellan in the House
Rep. Jennifer McClellan is the one currently with the least seniority in the entire chamber. She was elected after the 2022 midterm elections in that February special election. Even though she currently is the newest face in Congress, do not underestimate her!
She displays an innate understanding of issues facing Black voters across the United States. Many of her proposed pieces of legislation focus on the needs of the Black community. She has especially put her focus on helping out HBCUs.
The GRAD Act is meant to strengthen graduate level STEM programs at HBCUs by making more of them eligible for federal funding.
The RESEARCHER Act is meant to help out those conducting research by delving into root causes for their financial instability, especially at HBCUs.
More recently, McClellan has written a bill to help Black mothers, especially from single parent households.
The Child Care Assistance for Maternal Health Act:
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Establishes a federal grant program to support mothers and families during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period by increasing access to short-term child care.
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Prioritizes grant applicants that provide families with assistance to find a long-term childcare option, serve areas with higher rates of maternal mortality and poverty, and serve maternity care target areas.
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Prioritizes support for vulnerable populations, including low-income families, families experiencing homelessness, single-parent households, and families with children with disabilities or special health care needs.
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Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to identify successful activities to improve maternal health outcomes and provide reports to Congress.
Rep. Jennifer McClellan not only talks about these critical issues, she clearly walks the walk on them as well. That is why she is an example of Black excellence!
Rep. McClellan has a streak of being principled in her votes. For instance, McClellan voted YES on the Bipartisan Debt Ceiling Deal, but it was a very reluctant yes. Here she explains her vote for the bill.
Rep. Jennifer McClellan is a part of the Congressional Black Caucus, as well as the New Democratic Coalition. Those members tend to be more on the moderate side — but McClellan has one of the more progressive records in the House of Representatives in her brief tenure, which also makes sense being a member of the House Progressive Caucus.
Some evidence of her progressive credentials came when the Supreme Court made their extreme rulings at the end of June. For instance, The Supreme Court drew her ire when they ruled against affirmative action in college admissions. Her full statement is in the link below.
As a member of the Congressional Equality Caucus, she was aghast at the extreme ruling allowing businesses to discriminate against people who are LGBTQ+.
She was also up in arms when Biden’s student loan debt program was ruled against by the same court. She called for legislative activity to resolve the student debt crisis once and for all.
McClellan is definitely a progressive, only she has a mantra of not making the perfect the enemy of the good.
Rep. Jennifer McClellan exudes excellence, especially when it comes to issues that affect not only Black people, but everyone in America. She is progressive politically, but she has certain principles that give her a pragmatic outlook as well. It is evident in all of her actions, including her social media. On the site formerly known as Twitter, McClellan has 4.7k followers, which is a surprisingly high amount for the newest member of Congress. See what she is up to by following her on social media!
Rep. Jennifer McClellan may be (as of now) the newest member of Congress, but she has tons of experience from the Virginia General Assembly to lean back on, especially since most of the time spent there was in the minority. She truly is most effective in the majority, as the flurry of legislation she supported in the Virginia State Senate attests to. She will have to wait for that to happen in the House.
Speaking of her tenure, she has already run for Virginia governor once before (in 2021). She clearly has some ambition for a higher office than the House of Representatives. Could she be the one to replace Sen. Kaine or Sen. Warner when they decide to hang it up? Only she can make that decision!
New Faces in Congress is a diary series meant to highlight our new and diverse members of Congress in the Democratic Party. These 36 House freshmen range from political neophytes to seasoned legislative veterans. The series will run every Sunday morning, bright and early.
Last week, the New Faces in Congress series continued with a profile on Rep. Nikki Budzinski from Illinois’ 13th district. If you missed it, feel free to click on this link to read all about her!
Next week, I will profile Rep. Jared Moskowitz of Florida’s 23rd district. See you then!
Jennifer McClellan (Virginia-4)
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