USA news: Democrat Jennifer McClellan coasted to victory in Virginia’s special election Tuesday, becoming the state’s first Black woman in Congress.
McClellan, a state senator and corporate lawyer, was declared the projected winner over Republican Leon Benjamin, a pastor, within 30 minutes of the polls closing, according to the Associated Press.
She will succeed Democrat Rep. A. Donald Eachin, who died last November, and represent a district anchored by Richmond that stretches south to the North Carolina border.
Once McClellan is sworn in, there will be a record 28 Black women in Congress. Her victory does not change the GOP margin in the House as Republicans still will be able to lose four GOP votes on bills and pass legislation.
