Virginia voters elect first Black woman to U.S. House seat

RICHMOND, Va. -- Virginia voters on Tuesday elected Democrat Jennifer McClellan, a veteran state legislator from Richmond, to fill an open seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, where she will make history as the first Black woman to represent the state in Congress.

"We will make this commonwealth and this country a better place for everyone," McClellan told supporters in Richmond. "I am ready to get to work."

McClellan, 50, prevailed over Republican nominee Leon Benjamin in the special election for the blue-leaning 4th District, which has its population center in the capital . . .