2023 Virginia's 4th congressional district special election
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The 2023 Virginia's 4th congressional district special election is a special election to the U.S. House of Representatives that will be held to fill Virginia's 4th congressional district for the remainder of the 118th United States Congress. The seat became vacant after incumbent Democratic Party representative Donald McEachin died on November 28, 2022, of colorectal cancer.[1][2]
In the United States, vacancies in the House must be filled by special elections. Under Virginia law, the governor schedules the special election and political parties handle their nominating processes themselves. On December 12, Governor Glenn Youngkin announced that the special election will take place on February 21, 2023.[3] According to the writ of election, party nominees and other prospective candidates had until December 23, 2022, to file to run in the special election.[4]
Democratic primary
The Fourth Congressional District Democratic Committee, responsible for choosing a nominee by December 23, organized an unassembled caucus, or "firehouse primary," on December 20 with a filing deadline of December 16.[5] According to the Democratic Party of Virginia, the race saw the highest turnout in a "firehouse primary" in Virginia history.[6]
The solid Democratic lean of the district meant that victory in the primary was seen as tantamount to election. Political analysts perceived the short timeline between the writ of election and the primary date as beneficial to candidates with institutional support. The major candidates in the primary were state senators Jennifer McClellan, who was considered to be the establishment favourite, and "firebrand" Joe Morrissey. Morrissey criticized the lack of polling locations in his Senate district and his campaign paid for a radio ad encouraging Republicans to vote for him.[7]
McClellan won with 85% of the vote to Morrissey's 14%.[8]
Candidates
Nominee
- Jennifer McClellan, state senator from the 9th district (2017–present) and candidate for Governor of Virginia in 2021[9]
Eliminated in primary
- Tavorise Marks, insurance business owner and candidate for Virginia's 62nd House of Delegates district in 2019[10]
- Joe Morrissey, state senator from the 16th district (2020–present) and candidate for Mayor of Richmond in 2016[11]
- Joseph Preston, former state delegate from the 63rd district (2015–2016)[12]
Withdrawn
- Lamont Bagby, state delegate from the 74th district (2015–present) and chair of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus[13][14] (endorsed McClellan)
Declined
- Lashrecse Aird, former state delegate from the 63rd district (2016–2022)[10]
- Colette McEachin, Richmond Commonwealth's Attorney and widow of Donald McEachin[15] (endorsed McClellan)
- Levar Stoney, Mayor of Richmond (2017–present) and former Virginia Secretary of the Commonwealth (2014–2016)[15] (endorsed McClellan)
- Treska Wilson-Smith, Petersburg city councilor[16]
Endorsements
Lamont Bagby (withdrawn)
- State legislators
Delores McQuinn, state delegate from the 70th district (2009–present)[10] (switched endorsement to McClellan after Bagby withdrew)[17]- Luke Torian, state delegate from the 52nd district (2010–present)[18]
- Local officials
Levar Stoney, Mayor of Richmond (2017–present) and former Virginia Secretary of the Commonwealth (2014–2016)[10] (switched endorsement to McClellan after Bagby withdrew)[19]
Jennifer McClellan
- U.S. Senators
- Tim Kaine, U.S. Senator from Virginia (2013–present), former Governor of Virginia (2006–2010), and former Mayor of Richmond (1998–2001)[20]
- Mark Warner, U.S. Senator from Virginia (2009–present) and former Governor of Virginia (2002–2006)[19]
- U.S. Representatives
- Don Beyer, U.S. Representative from Virginia's 8th congressional district (2015–present) and former Lieutenant Governor of Virginia (1990–1998)[21]
- Gerry Connolly, U.S. Representative from Virginia's 11th congressional district (2009–present)[21]
- Maxwell Frost, U.S. Representative-elect from Florida's 10th congressional district (starting 2023)[22]
- Elaine Luria, U.S. Representative from Virginia's 2nd congressional district (2019–2023)[19]
- Nancy Pelosi, U.S. Representative from California's 12th congressional district (1987–present) and Speaker of the House (2007–2011, 2019–present)[23]
- Abigail Spanberger, U.S. Representative from Virginia's 7th congressional district (2019–present)[19]
- Jennifer Wexton, U.S. Representative from Virginia's 10th congressional district (2019–present)[21]
- Statewide officials
- Viola Baskerville, former Virginia Secretary of Administration (2006–2010) and former state delegate from the 71st district (1998–2005)[21]
- State legislators
- Dawn Adams, state delegate from the 68th district (2018–present)[21]
- Lamont Bagby, state delegate from the 74th district (2015–present), chair of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus and withdrawn candidate in this election[24]
- Mamie Locke, state senator from the 2nd district (2004–present) and former Mayor of Hampton (2000–2004)[20]
- Louise Lucas, President pro tempore of the Senate of Virginia (2020–present) from the 18th district (1992–present)[20]
- Delores McQuinn, state delegate from the 70th district (2009–present)[17]
- Rodney Willett, state delegate from the 70th district (2020–present)[21]
- Local officials
- Colette McEachin, Richmond Commonwealth's Attorney and widow of Donald McEachin[25]
- Levar Stoney, Mayor of Richmond (2017–present) and former Virginia Secretary of the Commonwealth (2014–2016)[19]
- Organizations
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jennifer McClellan | 23,661 | 84.8 | |
| Democratic | Joe Morrissey | 3,782 | 13.6 | |
| Democratic | Tavorise Marks | 217 | 0.8 | |
| Democratic | Joseph Preston | 174 | 0.6 | |
| Unallocated | 66 | 0.2 | ||
| Total votes | 27,900 | 100.0 | ||
Republican primary
The Fourth Congressional District Republican Committee, responsible for choosing a nominee by December 23, held a canvass event in Colonial Heights on December 17.[31]
Candidates
Nominee
Eliminated in primary
- Derrick Hollie, marketing executive[31]
- Dale Sturdifen, former chair of the Mecklenburg County Public Schools Board and candidate for Virginia's 15th Senate district in 2019[10]
General election
Predictions
| Source | Ranking | As of |
|---|---|---|
| The Cook Political Report[33] | Solid D | December 22, 2022 |
| Inside Elections[6] | Solid D | December 22, 2022 |
| Sabato's Crystal Ball[34] | Safe D | December 20, 2022 |
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Jennifer McClellan | ||||
| Republican | Leon Benjamin | ||||
| Total votes | |||||
By county
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See also
- 2023 United States House of Representatives elections
- 118th United States Congress
- List of special elections to the United States House of Representatives
References
- ^ "Rep. Donald McEachin passes away at 61 after battle with colorectal cancer". CBS 6 News Richmond WTVR. November 29, 2022. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
- ^ "Rep. Don McEachin dies". Cardinal News. November 29, 2022. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
- ^ "Gov. Youngkin announces special election for seat held by late Congressman Donald McEachin". WAVY-TV. December 12, 2022.
- ^ "Writ-of-Election---VACD4-vacancy-UPDATED-FINAL.pdf" (PDF). Virginia Department of Elections. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 12, 2022. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
- ^ Democratic Party of Virginia. "VA-04 DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE VOTES TO HOLD FIREHOUSE PRIMARY ON TUESDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2022". VA Dems. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
- ^ a b "Virginia 4 Special: McClellan Poised for History". House Ratings. The Rothenberg Political Report. December 22, 2022. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
- ^ McIntire, Mary Ellen (December 19, 2022). "Democrats scramble in one-week primary for open Virginia seat". Roll Call. Archived from the original on December 20, 2022. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
- ^ a b "Democratic firehouse primary results". Virginia Democratic Party. December 22, 2022.
- ^ Flynn, Meagan (December 22, 2022). "Jennifer McClellan wins Virginia 4th District primary for McEachin's seat". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 22, 2022. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e Martz, Michael (December 12, 2022). "Youngkin sets Feb. 21 special election for 4th District seat". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
- ^ Mirshahi, Dean (December 13, 2022). "Sen. Joe Morrissey joins race for Virginia's 4th Congressional District seat". WRIC. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
- ^ "State Sen. Jennifer McClellan seeks to fill McEachin's seat in Congress". The Washington Post. December 13, 2022.
- ^ Mirshahi, Dean. "Del. Lamont Bagby running for Virginia's 4th Congressional District seat". ABC 8 News. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
- ^ Mirshahi, Dean (December 15, 2022). "Del. Lamont Bagby drops out of 4th Congressional District race, backs McClellan". WRIC-TV. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
- ^ a b "McEachin, a political giant in Central Virginia, dies at 61". Henrico Citizen. November 29, 2022. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
- ^ "Petersburg councilor considers run for late congressman's seat". The Progress-Index. December 7, 2022. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
- ^ a b Cain, Andrew; Martz, Michael. "Bagby, McQuinn, Stoney appear at 'unity' rally with McClellan". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved December 17, 2022.
- ^ https://www.wric.com/news/virginia-news/del-lamont-bagby-announces-run-to-fill-late-rep-mceachins-congressional-seat/
- ^ a b c d e Flynn, Meagan; Vozzella, Laura; Schneider, Gregory S. (December 15, 2022). "Virginia Democrats are vying to win a congressional race in only 7 days". Washington Post. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
- ^ a b c "Kaine endorses McClellan for Virginia's 4th Congressional District seat". WRIC ABC 8News. December 14, 2022. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f "McClellan, Morrissey formally join Democratic race for 4th District Congressional seat". Henrico Citizen. December 13, 2022.
- ^ "Team McClellan Youth Phone Bank with Congressman-elect Maxwell Frost! · Jennifer McClellan for Congress". Mobilize. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
- ^ Todd, Chuck; Murray, Mark; Kamisar, Ben; Bowman, Bridget; Marquez, Alexandra (December 20, 2022). "Trump was 'central cause' of Jan. 6, committee report says". NBC News. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
- ^ "BREAKING: Del. Lamont Bagby Dropping Out of VA04 Democratic Nomination Race, Endorsing Jennifer McClellan". December 15, 2022. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
- ^ "Colette McEachin officially endorses McClellan for Virginia's Fourth Congressional District". WRIC-TV. December 17, 2022.
- ^ "EMILY'S LIST ENDORSES STATE SEN. JENNIFER MCCLELLAN FOR CONGRESS". Retrieved December 18, 2022.
- ^ "NARAL Pro-Choice America Endorses Virginia State Sen. Jennifer McClellan for U.S. Congress". Retrieved December 18, 2022.
- ^ "Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC Endorses Jennifer McClellan in VA-04 Special Election". Progressive Caucus. December 16, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
- ^ "Democrats scramble in one-week primary for open Virginia seat". Roll Call. December 19, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
- ^ "DMFI PAC endorses State Senator Jennifer McClellan in the Democratic primary in VA-04". DMFI PAC. Retrieved December 19, 2022.
- ^ a b Moomaw, Graham (December 14, 2022). "Virginia Republicans are using ranked-choice voting again. Democrats still aren't". Retrieved December 15, 2022.
- ^ Atkinson, Bill (December 8, 2022). "Former GOP congressional candidate will run in 4th District special election". The Progress-Index. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
- ^ "New: state Sen. Jennifer McClellan (D) wins #VA04 Dem nomination w/ 85%, poised to become first Black congresswoman from VA. @CookPolitical 2/21 special election rating: Solid D."
- ^ Coleman, J. Miles (December 20, 2022). "Notes on the State of North Carolina". Sabato's Crystal Ball. Retrieved December 22, 2022.
External links
- Campaign websites