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McClellan Still Contemplating 2021 Gubernatorial Run, But Not Interested in Lower Posts

Senator McClellan At Press Conference Earlier This Month
Senator McClellan at a press conference earlier this month. (Photo: Ben Paviour/VPM News)

Democratic state senator Jennifer McClellan says she’s still thinking seriously about a run for governor in 2021, but isn’t interested in lower posts.

“I really like the Senate,” McClellan said in a recent interview with VPM News. “So far I can only think of one job I'd be willing to leave it for.”

McClellan has served in the General Assembly since 2006 and in the Senate since 2018. She was born in Petersburg and serves as regulatory counsel at Verizon. 

If McCellan runs for governor and wins, she’d be the first African American woman to hold the job. 

But she’ll likely have competition. Jennifer Carroll Foy, a left-leaning delegate from Northern Virginia, has also hinted at a run. Like McClellan, Carroll Foy launched a political action committee this fall.

Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax, who is fighting two allegations of sexual assault, told a crowd earlier this month that he’s running, the Progress-Index reported.

Attorney General Mark Herring threw his hat into the ring last year but has been quiet on the topic since February, when he admitted to wearing blackface as a college student.

The biggest wildcard may be former Gov. Terry McAuliffe, who has dodged questions on whether he’ll try to win back his old post. McAuliffe hired Chris Bolling, former executive director at the Democratic Party of Virginia, to head McAuliffe’s PAC in November, according to the Washington Post.

 

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Ben Paviour covers courts and criminal justice for VPM News with a focus on accountability.
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