84%: State Senator Jennifer McClellan Wins 7-Day Primary Nomination in #VA04
SEVEN-DAY FIREHOUSE PRIMARY RESULTS. 🧯The results are in and State Senator Jennifer McClellan has won the nomination for Virginia’s fourth congressional district. According to the Virginia Democratic Party the results are:
Jennifer L. McClellan – 23,661 (84.81%)
Joseph D. Morrissey – 3,782 (13.56%)
Tavorise K. Marks – 217 (0.78%)
Joseph E. Preston – 174 (0.62%)
Unallocated – 66 (0.24%)
The firehouse primary results came it two hours ago at 4:15 a.m. after a small group of volunteers counted the votes of 27,000 voters at Democratic Party headquarters started counting at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 21. There were eight polling places for the Dec. 20 firehouse. The vote breakdown from each polling location was not included in a press release by the Democratic Party this morning. But the results released by the party demonstrate McClellan won with close to 85 percent of the vote.
SEVEN DAY CAMPAIGN. A key turning point in the shortest congressional firehouse primary election in Virginia’s history 🏃🏾♂️ was Del. Lamont Bagby’s withdrawal from the race on Thursday Dec. 15. But either Del. Jeff Bourne or Bagby is the likely favorite to run for what will almost certainly be a vacant State Senate seat as McClellan goes to Congress in late February. The withdrawal of Bagby on Dec. 15 was soon followed by a strong “stop Morrissey” movement that joined forces in favor of McClellan. That, along with the historic importance of eventually electing the first Black woman to Congress from Virginia on Feb, 21, 2023, were likely factors in McClellan’s decisive 84 percent victory. Interestingly, it was only a little over a year ago in the Democratic primary for Governor that McClellan lost her Senate district to Terry McAuliffe in the June 2021 Democratic primary. But with an overwhelming 84 percent victory in the firehouse, McClellan is all but certain to be on Capitol Hill in Washington the week of Feb. 20.
Statement from State Senator Joe Morrissey 🏃🏾♂️ "I want to congratulate Senator McClellan, her supporters, and especially, her family on her win today. Virginia has never sent a Black woman to congress. That will change next year. This is progress of which we all can all be proud of. I am committed to doing everything I can to ensure she prevails in the general election. If asked, I look forward to campaigning with her, particularly in areas I currently represent.
Finally, I would be remiss if I did not thank my small but superb team. We had two office employees and two field workers who worked tirelessly. But the most energetic, eager and enthusiastic “worker bees” were Kennedy (10), Chase (7), Bella (6) and Maverick (as he says, almost 5). They spent 10 days in a row, every afternoon, placing meet-n-greet pizza invites under doors in Senior high rises, apartment buildings & church parking lots. They did a great job! Merry Christmas to everyone.
LAWSUIT FILED BY 7 #VA04 VOTERS. Barring an intervention because of the lawsuit filed on Dec. 16 and amended yesterday, Dec. 21, by seven voters in the fourth congressional district, a special election to fill the seat of A. Don McEachin will take place on Feb. 21, 2023.
The seven voters sued Gov. Glenn Youngkin, the State Board of Elections and the Democratic Party of Virginia and other claiming that the firehouse primary prevented ballot access and violated the U.S. Constitution and various laws in Virginia that have expanded access to voting. The lawsuit can be downloaded here:
McClellan is all but certain to be elected the first Black woman member of Congress from the Commonwealth of Virginia. But the rushed firehouse nominating process mirrors the lack of standard rules for special elections seen in the nominating process for Virginia’s open State Senate senate in Virginia Beach after Rep-Elect Jennifer Kiggans resigned after defeating Rep. Elaine Luria last month. There is currently no standard guidelines in the law in the Code of Virginia for the nominating process for special elections.
On Dec. 20, Republicans nominated Leon Benjamin — in a matter of hours —as their nominee for the Feb. 21 special election to fill McEachin’s seat. Benjamin is a pastor and Navy vet. He was defeated twice by McEachin.
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