Sarah McBride becomes first openly trans person elected to US House
Sarah McBride, a Delaware state senator, has made history as the first openly transgender person elected to the US House of Representatives.
“Thank you, Delaware! Because of your votes and your values, I am proud to be your next member of Congress,” McBride wrote on X after the race was called by MSNBC and NBC News, though the Guardian relies primarily on the Associated Press, which has not yet called the race for McBride.
“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 healthcare are available to everyone and that this is a democracy that is big enough for all of us.”
McBride, 34, won Delaware’s at-large House seat in Tuesday’s general election against Republican candidate John Whalen III, a former Delaware state police officer and businessman. The representative seat, the only one for Delaware, has been Democratic since 2010, the New York Times reported.
McBride defeated three other Democratic candidates in September’s primary race to secure her nomination and eventual win. She maintained her lead over Whalen in the race, at one point polling by more than 20 percentage points.
Ahead of Tuesday’s election, McBride spoke about what it would mean to be the first transgender person elected to Congress, telling CBS News: “It is a testament to Delawarians that the candidacy of someone like me is even possible.”
McBride’s election win isn’t the first time she’s made history in her political career. She became the first openly trans person ever elected to a state senate seat in 2020, after becoming a Democratic member of the Delaware senate. McBride was also the first openly transgender person to intern at the White House in 2012 during Barack Obama’s administration. She later spoke at the 2016 Democratic national convention, becoming the first transgender person to give remarks at the major political event.
Several key lawmakers have championed McBride’s congressional campaign. Joe Biden, the US president and a Delaware native and longtime friend of McBride, publicly congratulated her after her September primary victory. Lisa Blunt Rochester, the current representative for Delaware, also endorsed McBride prior to the primary race.
McBride’s campaign also snagged endorsements from prominent organizations. Everytown for Gun Safety, a non-profit advocating for gun control, endorsed McBride in early August, according to a statement posted online. The Planned Parenthood Action Fund also endorsed McBride in February.
Born and raised in Wilmington, Delaware, McBride expressed interest in politics from a young age, her parents told NBC News. As a young adult, McBride volunteered for several political campaigns, including Beau Biden’s initial campaign and re-election for Delaware attorney general.
In 2011, at the age of 21, McBride came out as a transgender woman in her university’s student paper and in a viral Facebook post.
Since then, McBride worked on several LGBTQ+ issues within and beyond her state. She worked on anti-discrimination legislation in Delaware that provided protection to trans people. She later served as the national press secretary for the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group. McBride also taught public policy at the University of Delaware and wrote a 2018 memoir entitled Tomorrow Will Be Different, according to her state senate biography.
Throughout her campaign, McBride has acknowledged the historic nature of her candidacy, but has said her campaign was focused on other critical issues. “I think that folks know that I am personally invested in equality as an LGBTQ person,” McBride said to CBS. “But my priorities are going to be affordable child care, paid family and medical leave, housing, healthcare, reproductive freedom.”
McBride added that she hopes her campaign can encourage “empathy” for the trans community, especially amid a rise in discrimination, prejudice and violence, the Human Rights Campaign reported.
“We know throughout history that the power of proximity has opened even the most closed of hearts and minds,” McBride said to CBS News. “And I still believe that the power of proximity taps what I believe to be the most fundamental human emotion, which is empathy.”
A record number of anti-trans bills have also been considered in 2024, as Republican politicians continue to escalate attacks on access to gender-affirming healthcare, trans people’s participation in sports and other rights. There were 661 bills targeting transgender people considered in 2024 compared with 604 bills the previous year, according to data from Trans Legislation Tracker, an independent research organization that tracks anti-trans bills.
The Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump, also repeated false, anti-trans claims. His campaign and other Republican groups have spent more than $21m on anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ+ television ads, ABC News reported. Since August, Republicans overall have spent $65m on such ads in more than a dozen states, the Times reported.
Prior to her win, in response to questions about Trump, McBride told CBS: “I wouldn’t be the first person in Congress to be part of a community that Donald Trump has said outrageous things about.”
Read more of the Guardian’s 2024 US election coverage