McClellan wins Democratic nomination to replace McEachin in Congress
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Virginia Sen. Jenn McClellan. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Virginia State Sen. Jenn McClellan easily won the Democrats' snap primary to nominate a successor to the late Rep. Don McEachin, the party announced early Thursday morning. She beat fellow state Sen. Joe Morrissey, a polarizing disbarred lawyer with a long history of scandals.
Why it matters: As the Democratic nominee in a bright-blue district, McClellan is almost certainly headed to Congress. And, thanks to the power of incumbency, she's likely to serve there for years.
- She would be the first Black woman elected to Congress in Virginia.
What's happening: McClellan crushed Morrissey, winning 85% of the vote. Morrissey won 14%.
- The party announced the results at 4am on Thursday after 18 hours of counting ballots by hand — a process that took significantly longer than officials initially expected due to the large turnout.
By the numbers: The whirlwind, seven-day contest drew intense interest. A total of 27,900 ballots were cast despite voting being limited to seven party-run locations.
- That’s 12,000 more votes than in the 2016 state-run primary in which McEachin was first nominated for the seat.
Catch up fast: McClellan is a corporate lawyer who lives in Richmond's Fan District and was first elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 2006. She won an election in 2017 to fill the state Senate seat vacated by McEachin.
- Nearly every prominent Democrat in the state endorsed her campaign, including McEachin's widow, Richmond Commonwealth's Attorney Colette McEachin.
What they're saying: At the polls on Tuesday, McClellan's supporters said they appreciated her advocacy in the General Assembly, citing her work on education and civil rights issues. McClellan's unambiguous opposition to abortion restrictions was also top of mind for some voters.
- "If I hadn't needed to vote for somebody who was going to support women's rights, [Morrissey] would have had my vote," Catherine Lynch, a 68-year-old retired office clerk, told Axios after casting her vote in South Richmond.
The other side: Morrissey, who has voiced support in the past for new abortion restrictions, had said in the days leading up to the race that he did not expect to win but was remaining in the contest as a matter of principle.
- He accused Democrats of intentionally suppressing his supporters by opening only eight polling locations, which he argued were deliberately placed to benefit McClellan.
- "This is impossible to win," he told Axios on Tuesday while he was campaigning outside a polling place.
What's next: Gov. Glenn Youngkin set the general election for Feb. 21.
Editor's note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly referenced the timing of a primary; it was in 2016, not the last regularly scheduled state-run primary in 2020. It also misstated the number of voting locations that were open; there were eight, not seven.
