Adele McClure
Adele McClure | |
|---|---|
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| Member of the Virginia House of Delegates from the 2nd district | |
| Assumed office January 10, 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Candi King (redistricting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Yuma, Arizona, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | Virginia Commonwealth University (BS) |
Adele Y. McClure is an American politician serving as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from the 2nd district since 2024. A Democrat, she previously served as executive director of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus and as policy director for former lieutenant governor Justin Fairfax.
Early life and education
[edit]McClure was born in Yuma, Arizona[1]; her mother raised her and worked as an early childhood care provider while her father was an immigrant from the Philippines who served in the U.S. Army.[2] She grew up in the Fairfax County portion of Alexandria and said she experienced hunger and periodic homelessness. During high school, she worked three jobs and took care of her niece and nephew while her brother was incarcerated.[3]
She is a first generation college graduate, earning a Bachelor of Science in economics from Virginia Commonwealth University in 2011.[1]
Political career
[edit]McClure was previously the executive director of the Virginia Legislative Black Caucus. She also worked under lieutenant governor Justin Fairfax as a policy director, resigning after he was accused of sexual misconduct.[4] McClure was featured on the 2019 Forbes 30 Under 30 Law & Policy list.[5]
Virginia House of Delegates
[edit]McClure first ran for the Virginia House of Delegates in 2023 to represent the 2nd district, a new district created from redistricting based in Arlington County.[3] She won the Democratic primary unnopposed after her two opponents, Kevin Saucedo-Broach and Nicole Merlene, withdrew from the race and was unnopposed in the general election.[6]
In 2025, EMILY's List awarded McClure with the 15th annual Gabrielle Giffords Rising Star Award.[2]
Tenure
[edit]Shortly after taking office, she proposed legislation to implement single-stair reform in multi-family residential buildingas as part of an effort to increase housing supply.[7]
Personal life
[edit]In 2019, McClure revealed that she was sexually assaulted at age 16 while giving a speech calling for Fairfax to resign.[4] She has a daughter.[2] She identifies as Baptist and queer.[1][8]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Delegate Adele Y. McClure". Virginia General Assembly. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
- ^ a b c Tamahana, Akemi (May 28, 2025). "Delegate Adele McClure is making history and taking a stand". AsAm News. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
- ^ a b DeVoe, Jo (January 25, 2022). "New candidate for District 2 House of Delegates steps forward". ARLnow. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
- ^ a b Hafner, Katherine (July 26, 2019). "Justin Fairfax aide who resigned after sex assault allegations speaks out". The Virginian-Pilot. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
- ^ "30 under 30 2019 Law & Policy". Forbes.
- ^ DeVoe, Jo (May 26, 2023). "Mental health emerges as top priority in local and state races". ARLnow. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
- ^ "Some Virginia lawmakers want to re-examine building codes". WVTF. 2024-01-19. Retrieved 2024-03-07.
- ^ Lavers, Michael (November 2, 2023). "More than a dozen LGBTQ candidates on the ballot in Va". Washington Blade. Retrieved June 4, 2025.
- Living people
- Virginia Commonwealth University alumni
- 21st-century American women politicians
- Women state legislators in Virginia
- American politicians of Filipino descent
- Democratic Party members of the Virginia House of Delegates
- 21st-century members of the Virginia General Assembly
- African-American state legislators in Virginia
- 21st-century African-American women politicians
- 21st-century African-American politicians
- LGBTQ state legislators in Virginia
- 21st-century American LGBTQ people
- Queer politicians
- African-American LGBTQ people