Delaware state Sen. Sarah McBride made history on Tuesday night, becoming the first openly transgender person to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, NBC News projects.
The Democrat won the state’s only House seat, defeating her Republican opponent John Whalen III, a retired police officer and former construction company owner.
McBride, 34, was heavily favored going into Tuesday’s election in the deep-blue state. In September, she easily defeated her Democratic primary opponents with 80% of the vote.
The congresswoman-elect already celebrated her projected win on social media, posting a thank you message to the voters of Delaware on X.
“Thank you, Delaware! Because of your votes and your values, I am proud to be your next member of Congress,” McBride wrote.
“Delaware has sent the message loud and clear that we must be a country that protects reproductive freedom, that guarantees paid leave and affordable child care for all our families, that ensures that housing and health care are available to everyone and that this is a democracy that is big enough for all of us,” she continued.
Thank you, Delaware! Because of your votes and your values, I am proud to be your next member of Congress.
— Sarah McBride (@SarahEMcBride) November 6, 2024
Delaware has sent the message loud and clear that we must be a country that protects reproductive freedom, that guarantees paid leave and affordable child care for all our… pic.twitter.com/QgwRkpUlbD
As NBC News reports, McBride is no stranger to making history. In 2012, she became the first trans woman to work in the White House when she interned for then-President Barack Obama, which she wrote about in her 2018 memoir, “Tomorrow Will Be Different: Love, Loss, and the Fight for Trans Equality.”
In 2016, she spoke at the Democratic National Convention and became the first trans person to deliver a speech at a major political convention.
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In 2020, McBride added another first to her list, securing victory in Delaware’s 1st Senate District and becoming the country’s first openly trans state senator.
In addition to McBride and Vice President Kamala Harris, the first woman of color to run for president on a major party ticket, voters in the state also had a chance to make history by casting their ballot for Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Lisa Blunt Rochester.
Blunt Rochester, who currently serves as Delaware’s sole representative in the House, is set to become the first Black woman to represent the state in the U.S. Senate, NBC News projects.
Earlier on Election Day, McBride reflected on the historic nature of that Democratic ticket in her state.
“That ticket is not an ultimate destination,” McBride said. “But it is a reflection of how far we’ve come, that no matter who you are, what you look like, where you come from or the gender with which you identify, that you can live your truth and dream big dreams all at the same time. It’s not the end, but it’s the beginning.”
Allison Detzel is an editor/producer for MS NOW. She was previously a segment producer for “AYMAN” and “The Mehdi Hasan Show.”
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