Delegate Eileen Filler-Corn made history Saturday in becoming the first woman ever put forward to serve as speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates, the lower house of the commonwealth’s 400-year-old legislative body. A formal vote will take place when the legislature convenes in January.
Ms. Filler-Corn, a Democrat representing Virginia’s 41st House of Delegates District since 2010, was unanimously picked by her House Democratic colleagues to lead the caucus in 2020, its members announced afterward.
The Democratic-controlled full House of Delegates will hold a vote to officially elect Ms. Filler-Corn as speaker on the first day of the next legislative session, at which point she would become both the first woman and the first Jewish politician ever to hold the position.
Ms. Filler-Corn was selected on the heels of Virginians voting Tuesday to put Democrats in charge of the House of Delegates next session, effectively placing the party on path to simultaneously control both the governor’s office and legislature for the first time in more than 20 years.
“It has been my great honor to serve as House Democratic Leader in this momentous year, and I am so grateful for the support of my colleagues. I look forward to working with every single member of the House of Delegates, Democrat and Republican, to move Virginia forward,” Ms. Filler-Corn said in a statement.
Delegate Charniele Herring, a Democrat repenting Virginia’s 46th House of Delegates District since 2009, will set a separate state record, meanwhile. Ms. Herring was selected Saturday to serve as the majority leader, which would make her the first woman and the first African American to hold that particular position.
“Not only did Virginia just elect the most diverse House of Delegates in its 400-year history, but House Democrats have made history again by nominating a diverse leadership slate to truly represent Virginia,” House Democratic Caucus executive director Trevor Southerland said in a statement.
Composed of both the Virginia House of Delegates and Senate of Virginia, the Virginia General Assembly is the oldest continuously functioning legislative body in the United States. It celebrated its 400th anniversary this summer.
The 41st and 46th districts are both in northern Virginia and include parts of Fairfax County, a wealthy and increasingly Democratic stronghold in the state.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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