Delaware state Sen. Sarah McBride (D) has won the Democratic primary election for the state’s at-large seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
McBride’s win could lead to a historic outcome — because the seat is considered a Democratic stronghold, it’s expected that she will win the general election race against former police officer and businessman John Whalen (R). If she does win, McBride will become the first openly transgender person to serve in Congress starting in January, when she would be sworn in.
McBride won her primary race on Tuesday evening, garnering 79.9 percent of the vote over nominal challengers. In a statement to The Associated Press, she expressed thanks to her supporters.
“My heart is filled with hope and gratitude. I’m grateful, I’m hopeful and I’m motivated,” McBride said.
The Democratic nominee also insisted that her candidacy was about more than her status as a transgender woman — that she was selected by voters in her party “based on ability, not identity.”
“I’m not running to make history. I’m running to make historic progress for Delawareans,” McBride said.
According to her campaign website, McBride is supportive of expanding access to health care and lowering costs in general, with the ultimate goal being “universal coverage.”
McBride also supports implementing federally protected paid sick time and paid family and medical leave for all workers, and wants to strengthen the power of unions, expressing support for the PRO Act. She additionally aims to expand reproductive rights, and to reduce recidivism by “ensuring reintegration” for formerly incarcerated people.
Kelley Robinson, the president of the Human Rights Campaign, attended McBride’s election watch party on Tuesday. Speaking to NBC News about her win, she credited McBride’s success to her deep connection to the state and its many communities.
“They’ve known her since she was in third grade, some of them, and many of them — and this is the best thing, especially when you think about a state senator — they know her for her record and her work,” Robinson said. “They know about the work she did on paid family leave. They know about the work she did on Medicaid expansion. This is really her doing what politicians should do, talking people about issues that matter to them and advocating for her community.”
Democrats have held the at-large House seat in Delaware since 2010. The seat opened up after current Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D) announced that she was seeking the U.S. Senate seat for the state, which became vacant after Sen. Tom Carper (D) announced he was retiring from the position after the expiration of his current term.
Should Blunt Rochester win in November — and all indications are that she will — she would make history as well, becoming the first Black person to ever represent Delaware in Congress, and just the fourth Black woman to serve in the Senate.
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