McClellan Announces Run for #Congress in Seven Day Sprint for #CD04
RICHMOND, VA — In the seven day race for the congressional seat left vacant by the death of Don McEachin, two State Senators (Jennifer McClellan and Joe Morrissey) a current member of the House of Delegates (Lamont Bagby), a retired member of the House of Delegates (Joe Preston) and a civil rights activist and prominent community organizer (Tavorise Marks), who narrowly lost a House of Delegates race in 2019, are facing off.
SPRINT. Who knows who else might drop in to the race for the fourth congressional district. 🏃🏾♂️ Incredibly the deadline is Friday at high noon and the election is next Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2022. That’s right, next Tuesday. As in: Five days before Christmas. But if a potential candidate can get 150 signatures, $3,480 and file the required paperwork by Friday they’re in.
MCCLELLAN. Today at the Bell Tower at Virginia’s State Capitol State Senator Jennifer McClellan announced her run for Virginia’s 4th congressional district. If elected she would be the first Black woman to represent Virginia in Congress. Last year, she was one of three Black candidates to run for Governor of Virginia — a historic first.
Sen. McClellan was introduced at her kickoff announcement by Richmond City Councilman Mike Jones and former Delegate Viola Baskerville. In 2005, Baskerville became the first Black woman to seek the Democratic Party nomination for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia.
“It’s one thing to talk about supporting Black women and another thing to do it,” said Councilman Jones. Jones is a candidate in 2023 for the House of Delegates. McClellan’s event was also attended by Richmond City Councilwoman Ann-Frances Lambert and thirty supporters with blue and white signs. Yes it was freezing cold. McClellan kept it short and sweet as she recounted her lengthy career in the General Assembly.
“This is a bittersweet day for me,” McClellan said.
“I've spent 17 years here passing over 350 bills… legislation to make us the first state in the south to proactively protect reproductive rights.”
McClellan also was the lead patron on historic legislation that was, “the first in the south to extend worker protection to domestic workers” and legislation that made Virginia the, “the first state in the south to have its own Voting Rights Act.”
“While I'm proud of all of that Voting Rights Act is probably the one I’m proudest of,” McClellan added.
McClellan was asked about the truncated seven day campaign and the voting day switch from Saturday to Tuesday, Dec. 20 by Mike Martz of the Richmond Times Dispatch. The question has now been put to all candidates who have announced and the process is fast becoming a big story that will likely get bigger as the days pass.
“I think given the timeframe put in place by the governor calling the special on February 21. Left them little choice. I think mobilizing voters in less than a week would would have been even more undemocratic. And so we want to make sure they want to make sure that as many people as possible to get the word and get out. And unfortunately, with a nominee having to be in place by December 23. They didn't really have much choice,” Sen. McClellan answered.
An hour and a half after McClellan announced another Democrat in the State Senate 25 minutes due South in Petersburg, Virginia had something to tell reporters as well…
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