RICHMOND, Va. -- The special election to fill the 4th District Congressional seat left vacant following the death of Congressman Donald McEachin (D - Henrico) will take place February 21, 2023, Governor Glenn Youngkin (R - Virginia) said Monday.
The last day for candidates to file as a candidate is December 23, 2022, the governor's office wrote in its announcement.
Two longtime state lawmakers, both Democrats, filed statements of candidacy Friday, according to online records.
Del. Lamont Bagby, who has represented suburban Richmond in the state House for nearly a decade and serves as the chairman of the legislative Black caucus, was holding a campaign kickoff Monday.
“Donald McEachin spent his entire career building a incredible legacy for this community that we will never forget," he tweeted Sunday. “I would not be here without him. Tomorrow I will tell you how I plan to help build on the McEachin legacy for the next generation.”
State Sen. Jennifer McClellan, who made an unsuccessful bid for governor last year, also filed a statement of candidacy and planned to make a “major announcement” Tuesday, according to a news release.
Other candidates, including Republican candidate Leon Benjamin, McEachin's opponent in November, have indicated their intention to run through social media or news releases.
McEachin died of cancer in November, just weeks after he was re-elected to Congress.
"This is a seat that's really relatively safe Democratic. Republicans are unlikely to win it in 2024 when you're running for president," CBS 6 political analyst Dr. Bob Holsworth said. "If they're going to have any shot at the seat at all, they have to do it in the special election."
McEachin won reelection in 2022 with 65% of the vote.
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