Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan Visit

Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan (VA-4), who last year became the first African American woman to represent Virginia on Capitol Hill, will visit Southern Virginia University and attend a general gathering for the entire community (classes permitting) from 9-9:50 a.m. in the Ballroom: all are welcome.

Born in Petersburg, McClellan is the daughter of academicians at Virginia State University. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Richmond and a law degree from the University of Virginia. A practicing attorney, she was elected as a member of the House of Delegates in 2005, then to the state Senate in 2017. Along the way, she became the first pregnant delegate to serve in the Virginia General Assembly. She ran for Governor in 2021, losing in the primary to the former governor, Terry McAuliffe.

On the death of her mentor and Senate predecessor Donald McEachin in 2022, she decided to run for his seat in Congress, which she won with an 85% majority in the party primary and then nearly 75% in the special election.

Rep. McClellan and her husband, David Mills, live in Richmond with their two children. Her district runs from Richmond south to the North Carolina border. This will be the first visit by a sitting member of Congress to SVU since Rep. Bob Goodlatte, who represents our district, came in around 2018.