Jennifer L. McClellan

Every Virginian deserves access to quality, affordable healthcare without fear of losing coverage or drowning in medical debt. Jenn has spent her career protecting and expanding access to care and defending the programs millions of Virginians depend on. That fight continues in Congress every single day.Defending the Affordable Care Act Jenn has been a fierce defender of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), voting against every Republican effort to gut it and pushing to extend ACA enhanced premium tax credits to keep coverage affordable for millions of Americans. When Congressional Republicans let those credits expire, Jenn sounded the alarm, anchoring Congressional Black Caucus Special Order Hours, cosponsoring legislation, and refusing to let the story go untold. She voted against the Republican funding bill that failed to protect those credits.Protecting Medicaid Jenn knows Medicaid is a lifeline. She helped lead the fight to expand Medicaid in Virginia during her time in the General Assembly, delivering coverage to 400,000 Virginians. When Congressional Republicans caved to the Trump Administration’s bidding and pushed their Big Ugly Law to cut $880 billion from Medicaid over 10 years, Jenn was on the frontlines on the Energy and Commerce Committee. She fought back during a 26-hour markup to protect healthcare coverage for hundreds of thousands of Virginians, keep our rural hospitals open, and protect Virginia’s state budget from millions in additional costs.Advancing Maternal and Public Health As a member of the Energy & Commerce Committee, Jenn works daily on the health issues that matter most to Virginians: maternal and infant health, mental health, substance use disorders, and more. After nearly losing her life during childbirth, she brings personal urgency to the fight against maternal mortality, introducing legislation, building coalitions, and refusing to let these disparities be ignored.Safeguarding Reproductive Justice Jenn believes how, when, and whether to become parents should be left to patients and their providers. Throughout her time in elected office, she has fought to ensure her constituents have the ability to make their own decisions in consultation with their healthcare providers. In the General Assembly, she led passage of the Reproductive Health Protection Act, the first proactive expansion of abortion rights in Virginia’s history. In Congress, she chairs the Reproductive Freedom Caucus’ Abortion Rights and Access Task Force and cosponsored the federal version of her landmark state legislation.

The choices we make today about energy and the environment will shape the world our children inherit. Jenn believes we can meet growing energy demand while building a cleaner, more sustainable future, lowering energy costs, protecting public health, and ensuring no community is left behind. She’s been fighting for that future throughout her time in public office.Fighting for Clean Energy and Lower Bills As a member of Energy & Commerce’s Energy Subcommittee, Jenn is on the frontlines of the fight to expand clean energy and energy efficiency, reduce pollution, and protect consumers. She has consistently opposed Republican legislation designed to roll back clean energy and energy efficiency investments and hand polluters a free pass. While in the General Assembly, she championed the Virginia Clean Economy Act to make Virginia the first state in the South with a 100% clean energy standard.Protecting Communities from Toxic Contamination Jenn has fought to tackle PFAS, or “forever chemicals,” in communities across Virginia. Jenn introduced the Department of Defense PFAS Discharge Prevention Act to require military installations to stop PFAS from reaching ground and drinking water systems, before leading a bipartisan push to include it in the FY2025 National Defense Authorization Act. Jenn has also used the appropriations process to bring millions in federal funding back to Virginia’s Fourth Congressional District to address PFAS contamination in Henrico County and asbestos in Prince George County’s water systems.Preserving Our Communities and Public Lands Jenn fought to protect Virginia communities and public lands from the Mountain Valley Pipeline Southgate Extension and called on the U.S. Department of Energy to incorporate climate, environmental justice, and public health considerations into liquified natural gas (LNG) export decisions. She continues to oppose Republican efforts to prioritize corporate polluters over the health and safety of Virginia families. In Congress, she co-led the introduction of the FERC Greenhouse Gas and Environmental Justice Policy Act of 2025 to require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to assess and mitigate the impacts that natural gas pipelines approved by FERC under the Natural Gas Act (NGA) will have on climate change and Environmental Justice communities.

Jenn grew up hearing firsthand accounts from her parents and grandparents growing up in the Jim Crow South. Those stories have driven her commitment to protecting and expanding voting rights her entire career, from her first bill in the Virginia House of Delegates to her work in Congress today.Fighting to Protect Voting Rights Jenn is a proud cosponsor of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to restore the full protections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which has been gutted by decades of court decisions, including Shelby v. Holder and the most recent Louisiana v. Callais decision. Jenn also serves on the Task Force on Strengthening Democracy, where she fights to protect voting rights, ensure election integrity, reduce dark money in politics, and combat voter suppression.Calling Out Modern-Day Voter Suppression When House Republicans advanced the SAVE Act, legislation requiring burdensome and expensive documents to register to vote, Jenn called it out as a modern-day poll tax. She led the Congressional Black Caucus’s Special Order Hour to expose the bill’s voter suppression intent, pointing out that eligible ID documents cost anywhere from $12 to over $1,000. Jenn will keep up the fight to combat voter suppression and protect Virginians’ rights at the ballot box.Fighting for Our Democratic Principles Jenn’s commitment to voting rights runs the length of her career. She introduced her first voting rights bill in 2006 to make absentee voting easier in Virginia. As a state senator, she championed the Voting Rights Act of Virginia to make Virginia the first state in the South to enact its own comprehensive voting rights law. In Congress, she has co-led a package of eight bills to strengthen our democracy, including measures to expand language access at the polls and protect the voting rights of unhoused Americans. She also led her colleagues in introducing the Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act to address the rise in deceptive voter suppression, misinformation practices and intimidation in federal elections.

Jenn is honored to represent many military servicemembers and veterans in the 4th Congressional District. Jenn served on the House Armed Services Committee during the 118th Congress, where she was responsible for ensuring the United States Military and our servicemembers had what they needed. She continues that work in Congress, focusing on crucial policy intersections between her committee’s jurisdiction and national security considerations, including in energy, technology, and more.Keeping Our Commitments to Allies Jenn believes that America’s strength is amplified by our alliances. She was the driving force behind a resolution prohibiting any president from withdrawing the United States from NATO without congressional approval, which was signed into law as part of the FY2024 National Defense Authorization Act. She has also been an outspoken critic of the Trump Administration’s haphazard approach to conflicts around the globe, including its latest war of choice in Iran.Improving Quality of Life for Servicemembers and Their Families As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, Jenn secured all seven of her amendments in the FY2025 NDAA markup, including the Improving TAP for Guard and Reserve Servicemembers Act, which creates a dedicated transition pathway for Guard and Reserve members returning to civilian life. She has consistently pushed the Department of Defense to provide more affordable childcare, mental health services, and housing for military families.Strengthening Defense Without Partisan Games Jenn believes the National Defense Authorization Act should be a national defense bill, not a vehicle for culture war politics. Every year, she has fought back against Republican amendments to strip DEI programs from the Armed Forces, restrict servicemembers’ access to reproductive healthcare, and abandon our global allies.

Jenn’s mom was the 12th of 14 children and the first member of her family to go beyond the 8th grade and graduate college. She went on to become an early childhood educator and college counselor. Jenn’s dad was a third-generation educator. Jenn’s parents taught her that a good education is the key to economic opportunity, thriving communities, and a healthy democracy. Jenn has carried those values with her throughout her life and career in public service, from the General Assembly to the halls of Congress. Now as a mother to school-age children, she has made expanding access to early learning and supporting students at every stage of their education a defining priority of her work in Congress.Expanding Access to Affordable Childcare The childcare crisis is an economic crisis. Jenn co-introduced the Child Care Infrastructure Act and the Child Care Workforce Development Act alongside Democratic Whip Katherine Clark. These two bills would build new early learning facilities, increase the supply of qualified childcare providers, and directly lower costs for families. The Workforce Development Act would fund student loan repayment of up to $6,000 annually for early childhood educators, incentivizing more people to enter and stay in this critical field. Jenn has also championed legislation to expand access to short-term childcare for mothers and their families during pregnancy, birth, and the postpartum period.Defending Public Education When the Trump Administration signed an executive order effectively dismantling the Department of Education, Jenn pushed back immediately. She has fought Republican efforts to cut Head Start and Title I funding that Virginia schools depend on, and she will continue to oppose any effort to defund the public education system that millions of Virginian children rely on.Supporting Students from Preschool Through College Jenn voted for the bipartisan Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act, which expanded the Child Tax Credit to give families more financial breathing room. She introduced the ACCESS Act to improve the affordability of college students’ transportation, and the GRAD Act to support graduate-level STEM programs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), like Virginia State University and Virginia Union University in her district, and Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs) by expanding their access to federal funding.Investing in Education in Virginia’s Fourth Jenn puts her appropriations work to use for students in the district. She secured funding for Southside Virginia Community College’s technical training programs and the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing, investments that connect Virginia students to in-demand careers. She also secured millions for Virginia Commonwealth University and Virginia State University to enhance AI research infrastructure, cybersecurity curriculum, and more.

Defending Public Education When the Trump Administration signed an executive order effectively dismantling the Department of Education, Jenn pushed back immediately. She has fought Republican efforts to cut Head Start and Title I funding that Virginia schools depend on, and she will continue to oppose any effort to defund the public education system that millions of Virginian children rely on.

Lower Costs. Real Results.

Protecting American Servicemembers and National Security Interests

The choices we make today about energy and the environment will shape the world our children inherit. Jenn believes we can meet growing energy demand while building a cleaner, more sustainable future, lowering energy costs, protecting public health, and ensuring no community is left behind. She’s been fighting for that future throughout her time in public office.

Healthcare Is a Right. Not a Privilege.

Advancing Maternal and Public Health As a member of the Energy & Commerce Committee, Jenn works daily on the health issues that matter most to Virginians: maternal and infant health, mental health, substance use disorders, and more. After nearly losing her life during childbirth, she brings personal urgency to the fight against maternal mortality, introducing legislation, building coalitions, and refusing to let these disparities be ignored.

Fighting for Clean Energy and Lower Bills As a member of Energy & Commerce’s Energy Subcommittee, Jenn is on the frontlines of the fight to expand clean energy and energy efficiency, reduce pollution, and protect consumers. She has consistently opposed Republican legislation designed to roll back clean energy and energy efficiency investments and hand polluters a free pass. While in the General Assembly, she championed the Virginia Clean Economy Act to make Virginia the first state in the South with a 100% clean energy standard.

Fighting to Protect Voting Rights Jenn is a proud cosponsor of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to restore the full protections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which has been gutted by decades of court decisions, including Shelby v. Holder and the most recent Louisiana v. Callais decision. Jenn also serves on the Task Force on Strengthening Democracy, where she fights to protect voting rights, ensure election integrity, reduce dark money in politics, and combat voter suppression.

Lower prescription drug costs, strengthen health-system price transparency, and extend enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits.

• The current campaign page cites her cosponsorship of prescription-drug legislation and votes on price transparency and ACA subsidies.

Expand clean-energy and energy-efficiency investments that reduce household utility costs and protect consumers from energy-cost increases associated with rapid data-center and AI demand.

• The page cites the bipartisan Virginia Affordable Energy Act and her cosponsorship of the Power for the People Act.

Expand the supply of affordable housing and redirect federal resources toward housing affordability.

• The page cites local housing appropriations and her cosponsorship of the Make Housing Affordable and Defend Democracy Act.

Expand the Child Tax Credit and protect SNAP benefits for families.

• The page cites her vote for the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act and opposition to SNAP reductions.

Expand clean energy and energy efficiency, reduce pollution, and protect consumers from higher energy costs.

• The page cites her Virginia Clean Economy Act record as supporting evidence.

Require military installations to prevent PFAS from reaching groundwater and drinking-water systems and fund remediation of PFAS and asbestos contamination.

• McClellan introduced the Department of Defense PFAS Discharge Prevention Act and has used appropriations for local remediation projects.

Require federal energy regulators to assess and mitigate climate and environmental-justice impacts of natural-gas pipelines and include climate, public-health, and community considerations in LNG decisions.

• The campaign cites the FERC Greenhouse Gas and Environmental Justice Policy Act of 2025 and opposition to the Mountain Valley Pipeline Southgate Extension.

Defend the Affordable Care Act and extend enhanced premium tax credits to keep coverage affordable.

Protect Medicaid coverage and the rural hospitals and state finances that rely on Medicaid funding.

• The current page cites her Virginia Medicaid-expansion record and current congressional opposition to Medicaid reductions.

Prioritize maternal and infant health, mental health, substance-use treatment, and other public-health needs.

• The campaign says she is introducing legislation and building coalitions around these issues.

Protect patient and provider decision-making on reproductive health and support the federal version of Virginia's Reproductive Health Protection Act.

• The page cites her Virginia law and current federal cosponsorship.

Support the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and broader federal efforts to protect voting rights and election access.

• The campaign also cites her work on election integrity, dark money, and voter-suppression issues.

Oppose the SAVE Act and other voting requirements she views as creating unnecessary documentation barriers to voter registration.

Expand language access at polling places, protect voting access for unhoused Americans, and prohibit deceptive practices and voter intimidation in federal elections.

• The page cites an eight-bill democracy package and the Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act.

Require congressional approval before a president can withdraw the United States from NATO and maintain U.S. commitments to allies.

• The campaign cites a provision enacted in the FY2024 National Defense Authorization Act.

Provide a dedicated transition pathway for Guard and Reserve members and expand affordable childcare, mental-health services, and housing support for military families.

• The page cites her Improving TAP for Guard and Reserve Servicemembers Act and Department of Defense advocacy.

Keep the National Defense Authorization Act focused on defense and oppose using it to eliminate military DEI programs, restrict servicemember reproductive health care, or reduce alliance commitments.

Build new early-learning facilities, increase the supply of qualified childcare providers, lower family childcare costs, and provide student-loan repayment incentives for early-childhood educators.

• The campaign cites the Child Care Infrastructure Act, Child Care Workforce Development Act, and legislation for short-term childcare during pregnancy and postpartum.

Protect the Department of Education, Head Start, Title I, and other federal public-education funding from cuts or elimination.

Expand the Child Tax Credit, make college transportation more affordable, and expand federal support for graduate STEM programs at HBCUs and Predominantly Black Institutions.

• The campaign cites the ACCESS Act and GRAD Act.

Secured federal funding for technical training, advanced manufacturing, AI research infrastructure, cybersecurity curriculum, and other education projects in Virginia's Fourth District.

• The current campaign page presents these appropriations as her district education record.