Delaware state Sen. Sarah McBride (D) announced on Monday that she is running for the state’s sole seat in the House of Representatives next fall. If successful, she will become the first transgender person to serve in Congress in U.S. history.
McBride became the first trans person to be elected to state legislative office in 2020, which at the time made her the highest-ranking trans lawmaker in the country. Since then, a number of other transgender lawmakers have been elected.
The seat McBride is running for is currently held by Democratic Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester. But the seat will be up for grabs in the 2024 election because Rochester is running for Delaware’s Senate seat, replacing Sen. Tom Carper (D-Delaware), who is retiring at the end of this term.
A number of sites that observe federal elections have listed the seat as solidly Democratic, which means whoever wins the primary will likely win in the November election. Although another candidate, an EMT named Alex Geise, has filed paperwork to run, McBride is currently considered the favorite within the Democratic primary.
So far, it appears that no Republicans will be running for the seat.
At 32 years old, McBride already has an extensive resume. She was instrumental in helping the state legislature pass paid family and medical leave in Delaware. She was also a White House intern during the Obama administration, and worked on the late Beau Biden’s campaigns for state attorney general. (President Joe Biden later provided the forward for a book authored by McBride).
Although she has recognized the historic nature of her run for office, the lawmaker has maintained that she’s “not running to be a trans member of Congress,” but to represent the people of her state in the House.
“It’s clear that diversity in government is necessary for us to not just ensure we have a healthy democracy but also to truly deliver for people,” she said in an interview with a local newspaper.
In her campaign announcement video, McBride touted her ability to “represent 50,000 of my neighbors” in her current state Senate district, noting that, while not everyone agrees with her views, she tries her best to cooperate with others.
“Too many politicians want to divide us, to tell us that teachers, doctors, even our own neighbors are the enemy,” McBride said in her ad, alluding to far right attacks on doctors who provide trans health care or abortions, as well as attacks on teachers who have fostered an LGBTQ inclusive learning environment or taught the accurate history of racism in the U.S.
McBride added that she is committed to helping “the people in Delaware who aren’t seen,” including parents, seniors, working people, and more.
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