1. Jennifer Leigh McClellan was born on December 28,1972 and is an American politician and attorney who has served as the US representative for Virginia's 4th congressional district since 2023.
19 Facts About Jennifer McClellan
1. 2.
Jennifer McClellan ran in the Democratic primary for governor of Virginia in the 2021 election, losing to former governor Terry McAuliffe.
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Jennifer McClellan is the first Black woman elected to Congress from Virginia.
4.
Jennifer McClellan attended Matoaca High School in Chesterfield County, where she was valedictorian.
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Jennifer McClellan earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and political science from the University of Richmond in 1994, and a Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1997.
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Jennifer McClellan has worked as regulatory counsel for Verizon Communications.
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Jennifer McClellan won the election and from 2006 to 2017 represented the 71st district in the House of Delegates, which comprised parts of the city of Richmond and Henrico County.
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Jennifer McClellan has served as vice chair of the Democratic Party of Virginia.
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Jennifer McClellan has served as vice chair of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus and became the first pregnant Virginia delegate to participate in a legislative session.
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Jennifer McClellan was an outspoken critic of Governor Bob McDonnell's efforts to overhaul Virginia's pension system in 2012.
11.
Jennifer McClellan opposed the cuts to retirement benefits for teachers and public safety employees, and argued that Republican lawmakers had rushed the legislation to minimize any scrutiny from Democrats and labor unions.
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Jennifer McClellan was elected to the Virginia Senate in a special election on January 10,2017, to fill the 9th district seat vacated by Donald McEachin's election to the US House of Representatives.
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Jennifer McClellan's seat was once held by former governor Douglas Wilder.
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In 2019, Jennifer McClellan co-sponsored the Repeal Act, which would have lifted some of Virginia's restrictions on abortion.
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Jennifer McClellan has sponsored the Virginia Clean Economy Act and the Voting Rights Act of Virginia, both of which were signed into law.
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In June 2020, Jennifer McClellan announced her candidacy for governor of Virginia in 2021.
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Jennifer McClellan was the Democratic nominee in the 2023 special election for Virginia's 4th congressional district; the seat became vacant when incumbent Donald McEachin died from colorectal cancer on November 28,2022.
18.
Jennifer McClellan won a firehouse primary on December 20,2022, then defeated pastor Leon Benjamin in the general election on February 21,2023.
19.
Jennifer McClellan is the first Black woman elected to Congress from Virginia.