RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Congresswoman-elect Jennifer McClellan will be sworn into Congress in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, March 7. McClellan will become the first Black woman to represent Virginia in Congress.
McClellan defeated Republican Leon Benjamin in last month’s 4th Congressional District special election to serve the rest of the late Rep. Donald McEachin’s fourth term.
“I’m ready to fight for you in Congress for as long as you’ll have me,” McClellan said in her victory speech.
McClellan has served for 18 sessions in Virginia’s General Assembly and has passed over 370 bills. She was one of the key architects of Virginia’s own Voting Rights Act and championed legislation to expand reproductive rights.
“I’ve dedicated my life, right here in Richmond, to serving the community. I was raised on servant leadership and I took that legacy and the legacy of my parents and I decided that I wanted to work to make this country, this commonwealth, this city a better place,” McClellan said on the night of the special election.
McClellan will be sworn in at 6:30 p.m. on the House Floor of the U.S. Capitol.
