McClellan announces re-election run: 'We've got important work to do in Congress'

Monday was the first day for congressional candidates to file paperwork for the upcoming primary, and Rep. Jennifer McClellan wasted little time in doing so.

McClellan, a Petersburg native and former state legislator, filed her re-election papers with the 4th Congressional District Democratic party. Her campaign said McClellan collected 3,541 signatures from district voters, more than three times the mandated total of 1,000 signatures.

Even though she is running for re-election, this is the first time McClellan has sought the term in her own right. She won a special election early last year to fill the unexpired term of Rep. Donald McEachin, who died less than a month after winning the November 2022 general election.

In a statement announcing her plans, the 51-year-old attorney said she was seeking a second term because “we have important work to do in Congress to deliver progress.” She is basing her campaign on traditional Democratic platforms – job creation, reigning in rising costs, access to affordable health care, gun control, and voting-rights and reproductive-health protections.

Born in Petersburg and raised in the shadow of Virginia State University where both her parents worked, McClellan became the first Black woman to represent Virginia in Congress. Prior to her time in Washington, McClellan represented Richmond in both the House of Delegates and the Virginia state Senate, and is a former Democratic gubernatorial candidate.

In Washington, McClellan sits on the House Armed Services Committee and the House Science, Space and Technology Committee.

As of early Monday afternoon, there had not been any indications of a Republican candidate filing for the June 18 primary. Richmond pastor Leon Benjamin had run under the GOP banner in the last three elections and lost all – two to McEachin and one to McClellan in the 2023 special election.

Candidates have until April 4 to file paperwork with their respective parties.

The 4th District stretches from metro Richmond to the Virginia-North Carolina line and includes all of the Tri-City area.

Bill Atkinson (he/him/his) is an award-winning journalist who covers breaking news, government and politics. Reach him at batkinson@progress-index.com or on X (formerly known as Twitter) at @BAtkinson_PI.

This article originally appeared on The Progress-Index: First Black woman to represent Va. in Congress files for re-election