Sarah McBride Makes History as First Openly Transgender Member of U.S. Congress

Delaware state Sen. Sarah McBride has made history by becoming the first openly transgender person elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. This milestone was achieved on Tuesday, November 5, 2024, when McBride won the race for Delaware’s single U.S. House seat.

McBride, who has been a state senator in Delaware, succeeded Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, who was projected to win her Senate race. McBride defeated Republican candidate John Whalen III, a retired construction company owner and former state trooper, in a campaign where she raised over $3 million in contributions from across the country.

McBride has established a national profile as an LGBTQ activist and gained national recognition at the 2016 Democratic National Convention as the first openly transgender person to address a major party convention in the United States. As a state senator, she has worked on various health care issues, including sponsoring legislation for a statewide paid family and medical leave insurance program, addressing Medicaid reimbursement rates for home health care services, and expanding access to dental care for low-income Delawareans.

McBride’s personal story has also resonated with voters. She met her late husband, Andrew Cray, a trans man, at a White House reception during the Obama era. Cray passed away from cancer just four days after their wedding. McBride’s election is seen as a powerful message that Delawareans judge candidates based on their ideas rather than their identities.

“Tonight is a testament to Delawareans that we have shown time and time again that in this state of neighbors, we judge candidates based on their ideas and not their identities,” McBride said. “I didn’t run to make history. I ran to make a difference for my state and this country,” she added.