by Dick Hall-Sizemore
For Bacon’s Rebellion readers who do not follow politics in the Richmond area, you are missing a real donnybrook. The tussle is over filling the Fourth Congressional District seat held by the late Donald McEachin and the most in-fighting is over the Democratic nomination. Because the district is solidly Democratic, there is a reasonable assumption that the Democratic candidate will be the winner in the special election for the seat.
Governor Youngkin set Feb. 21 as the date for the election, with Dec. 23 being the last day for candidates to file.
Early on, the most prominently mentioned Democratic candidate was Delegate Lamont Bagby, who represents Henrico County in the House of Delegates. The chairman of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus, Bagby presented himself as a mentee of McEachin and vowed to carry on his legacy.
From the beginning, another name frequently mentioned as a possible candidate for the Democratic nomination was that of Senator Jennifer McClellan, who represents Richmond in the Virginia Senate. A longtime member of the legislature, in both the House and Senate, she is a widely respected legislator. Because Democrats have only a two-seat margin in the Senate, there was some initial speculation that she might not run. However, she quickly dispelled any doubts.
On Monday, December 12, Bagby announced his candidacy. On the next day, McClellan announced hers. Also announcing his candidacy on Tuesday was Sen. Joe Morrissey, a somewhat surprise late-comer to the race. Morrissey, a colorful and controversial character, represented Richmond and Henrico in the House for many years. His current Senate district includes Petersburg and he has aligned himself with that jurisdiction.
The Fourth Congressional District Democratic Committee scheduled the “firehouse primary” for the selection of the nominee for Tuesday, December 20. Morrissey lost little time in blasting the committee for not holding it on Saturday so as to allow more people the opportunity to participate. He charged that “Democratic elites” made that decision in order to limit turnout and elect “their” person. On Wednesday, December 14, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine endorsed McClellan. He broke with his usual practice of not endorsing candidates in a primary contest because of his special relationship with McClellan. He explained, “I have been a mentor to Jenn since before she ran for her first political office. She has represented me as a Delegate and State Senator and done so with passion and distinction. I officiated at her wedding to Dave and have watched her balance the roles of legislator, lawyer, wife, and mother with grace.”
On Thursday, December 15, Bagby withdrew from the race and threw his support to McClellan. His withdrawal was obviously the result of a fear that Bagby and McClellan would divide the Black vote and throw the election to Morrissey. Delegate Delores McQuinn, the senior delegate from Richmond, had convened a meeting on Wednesday night with Bagby and McClellan. Bagby claimed his decision was not directly related to that meeting. The Kaine endorsement of McClellan also must have figured heavily in his decision.
Although he is of the same party, the Democratic establishment in Richmond really does not like Morrissey. On Friday, there was a “unity” news conference in Richmond, featuring key Black leaders in the area. “Like many of us, Del. Bagby had looked at the landscape and realized that if everyone attempted to move in [that] direction it would be difficult for the representation we needed in the Fourth District to succeed,” McQuinn said diplomatically. Colette McEachin, Richmond Commonwealth’s Attorney and the widow of the deceased Congressman, did not mince words when she declared the Fourth District “deserves better” than Morrissey.
Morrissey has not been bashful in firing back. “Did you really have to buy Lamont to come out of the race?”, he rhetorically asked the district committee. Later, in establishing his credibility with Black voters, he declared, “I put nine African American judges on the bench in the past two years. Nine African American judges in the last two years.”
There are two other candidates in the contest, former Delegate Joe Preston, D-Petersburg, and businessman Tavorise Marks, but all the attention is on McClellan and Morrissey. They are two very different candidates. McClellan is a policy wonk. She is quiet-spoken, but can be quite passionate on issues she cares about. She is well-respected by members from both parties. She can seem somewhat stiff and standoffish. She is not a glad-hander, which did not serve her well when she sought the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in the 2021 primary. Morrissey, on the other hand, is a brash renegade who relishes his nickname of “Fighting Joe.” He has rankled members of both parties. “He is a disgrace as a ‘public servant’,” declared Sen. Tommy Norment (R-James City), the Senate Minority Leader.
If this were a regular primary with a couple of months to campaign, Morrissey would be hard to beat. In the past, he has proved to be a formidable campaigner, with his maverick style appealing to ordinary Black and White voters. In 2019, he surprised most observers by upsetting long-term incumbent Roslyn Dance of Petersburg in a primary race for the Senate seat he now holds. But the calendar is against him. With only a week to campaign and the leadership of the party against him, the odds seem slim. However, political pundits are not counting him out. Rich Meagher, an associate political science professor at Randolph-Macon College, said, “Morrissey can still beat her because Morrissey is a magician. And as far as politics goes, don’t count out a guy who won an election while he was technically in jail.”
Meanwhile, the Republicans have quietly chosen their candidate in a party caucus on Saturday. They nominated Leon Benjamin, a Richmond minister. Benjamin is no stranger to this race. He lost to McEachin in 2020 and again this year.
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