On Politics

Wed Feb 22 2023

Hey there, OnPolitics readers! After a special election yesterday Democrat Jennifer McClellan will be the first Black woman from Virginia in Congress.

So what took so long? Reporters Phillip M. Bailey and Mabinty Quarshie have more on why McClellan's historic win was successful while other Black women candidates in the midterms lost.

In an exclusive Q&A for OnPolitics, Phillip and Mabinty share more from behind the story:

Q: Who are other Black women who ran for offices in the midterms and lost? What are some of the reasons experts say those candidates lost their races?

Phillip: In terms of the major contests of 2022 that were disappointments for Black women candidates, it was Stacey Abrams in Georgia, Val Demings in Florida and Cheri Beasley in North Carolina.

Many of the strategists and consultants USA TODAY spoke with citied lopsided spending from conservative-leaning outside groups compared to more liberal organizations in those contests. In some races, such as N.C., the Black women candidate outpaced the GOP opponent but was trounced in term of what super PACs and others spent on the race.

Other experts mentioned how in some races, such as Georgia, the incumbent was well-liked and popular which made any challenge more difficult. But all say that Black women candidates face certain historical and contemporary stereotypes that make them easier for rivals to define and attack. Overcoming that will require a multi-prong strategy that also includes investing in Black women candidates leading up to their races and spending with Black-oriented and progressive-aligned media outlets to define them early.

Q: Share a bit about Black women's leadership, particularly for the Democratic party. How has it evolved and when?

Mabinty: Black women are the Democratic Party's most loyal voting bloc but there have been complaints over the past decade that they aren't being given leadership roles. If you remember, there was public pressure for then presidential candidate Joe Biden to select a Black woman as his vice-presidential running mate. He ended up choosing then California Sen. Kamala Harris, the sole Black woman in the Senate.

That also meant when Biden and Harris won the White House in 2020, there were no Black women in the Senate. Since then, we've seen some states elect their first Black female member to Congress. Last year, Democratic Rep. Summer Lee became the first Black woman elected to Congress from Pennsylvania. With McClellan's win, there will be a record number of Black women, 28, serving in the House. But no Black woman has ever been elected governor and there's none in the Senate.

Q: What's next for groups who want to see more Black women elected to office?

Mabinty: This is where it gets complicated. Some of the Black women lawmakers and advocates who spoke with us said they want to see more training, financial support, endorsements from lawmakers and mentorship for Black women candidates. I'll be keeping an eye out on California Rep. Barbara Lee, who is running for the Senate seat to replace retiring Sen. Diane Feinstein. If she were to win, Lee would be just the third Black women senator elected in the U.S. But she's facing stiff competition from Rep. Katie Porter and Rep. Adam Schiff, who former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she will endorse.

📰 Read the full story: In historic first, Jennifer McClellan just won election to Congress. Black women say it's not enough.