‘Every seat counts’: Two candidates face off in Virginia’s Special Election
Voting stickers. Photo by Jay Stonefield.
Selna Shi, News Editor
Vali Jamal, Contributing Writer
Democratic nominee and incumbent for Virginia’s 9th Senate District Sen. Jennifer McClellan, D-Richmond, is running against Republican nominee Leon Benjamin in the Feb. 21 special election.
Rep. Donald McEachin, D-VA, died on Nov. 28, 2022, less than three weeks after being re-elected, leaving a vacancy in the seat, according to McEachin’s Twitter.
McEachin served in the U.S. House of Representatives beginning in 2017. Prior to this, he served as a legislator in the Virginia General Assembly, according to McEachin’s website.
The 4th Congressional District covers part or all of counties: Brunswick, Charles City, Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, Greensville, Henrico, Prince George, Richmond, Southampton, Surry and Sussex, according to the Virginia Redistricting Commission’s website.
This congressional seat has been held by the Democratic Party since 2016, according to a previous article from The Commonwealth Times.
McClellan would be the first Black woman to represent Virginia in Congress. She garnered 85% of votes in the special election primary against Sen. Joe Morrissey, D-Richmond, according to an NPR article.
27 Black women currently serve in the House of Representatives; McClellan would make 28, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.
She served the last 17 years in the Virginia General Assembly, first as a Delegate and then as a Senator, according to McClellan’s website. She currently also serves as vice chair of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus.
She is planning to focus on issues such as abortion-rights and voting rights, according to McClellan’s website.
The Commonwealth Times reached out to McClellen’s campaign team but were unable to schedule an interview by the date of publication.
Benjamin was born in Richmond and received a master’s degree at Rovear Christian University in Christian education, according to Benjamin’s Linkedin profile. He has not held public office before, but currently serves as the senior pastor and bishop of New Life Harvest Church.
Benjamin challenged McEachin in 2020 and 2022, according to the Virginia Public Access Project. This upcoming special election would be his third bid for office.
Issues like political polarization and prioritizing domestic energy sources are what Benjamin is focusing on, according to his campaign website.
The Commonwealth Times reached out to Benjamin’s campaign team, but they declined an interview.
Joe Mayer, a lead tax policy analyst at Virginia Department of Taxation, was not originally aware of the upcoming special election, but is now planning to vote on Feb. 21.
Mayer said military defense, healthcare and education are some issues that are encouraging him to vote in the election.
“With all the things going on in the world with Russia and with China, [it is] probably more important than ever that we have a strong military,” Mayer said. “I have questioned military spending over the years, but it seems like the money is well worth it when you have countries like Russia invading other countries.”
Zoe Chernicoff, a 4th District resident and researcher for Fair Fight Action, said she has already voted in early voting.
“Basic civil liberties, voting rights, abortion care, medical care and family care. Basically all the ‘cares’ is what I care about,” Chernicoff said.
Ashish Tiwari, another resident in the 4th District, said the biggest issue this election is people forgetting about the election or not knowing about it.
“Every seat counts. Republicans have a majority, but it is very slim,” Tiwari said.
VCU graduate student Kat Thompson said advocating for equal wealth is something that she looks for in the candidates.
“I’ve been in Richmond a couple of times in the past, around like five years ago. Coming back now for school and seeing how gentrified it is to the point where it’s like not the same Richmond I knew,” Thompson said.
Thompson is also hoping that the new representative will also focus on helping people without housing.
Early voting began on Jan. 6, and will be open until Feb. 18. The last day to register to vote in the special election is Feb. 14, and the last day to vote is Feb. 21.
