Delaware state Sen. Sarah McBride (D) is now projected to win her election on Tuesday for her state’s at-large House district, making her the first openly transgender person elected to Congress.
“Thank you, Delaware! Because of your votes and your values, I am proud to be your next member of Congress,” McBride wrote Tuesday in a post on the social platform X after several media outlets called the race. “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.”
McBride was heavily favored to defeat her Republican opponent, Josh Wahlen. She won the Democratic nomination in September with 80% of the vote.
While the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund reports that at least seven other openly transgender people have been elected to state legislatures since 2020, McBride was the first. She is now the first to be elected to Congress as well.
McBride makes history at a time when transgender rights in the United States are in the spotlight. According to a report from the Trans Legislation Tracker, more than 600 bills defined as threatening trans people’s access to health care, education, and legal recognition were introduced this year in state legislatures.
In Congress, dozens of bills have been filed in the House and Senate by Republicans, including measures added to must-pass federal spending bills.
McBride’s victory was celebrated on Tuesday night by Democrats and LGBTQ rights organizations like the Human Rights Campaign.
The president of that advocacy group, Kelley Robinson, said, “As the first openly transgender person to serve in Congress, her service is a landmark achievement on the march toward equality.”
“This historic victory reflects not only increasing acceptance of transgender people in our society, ushered in by the courage of visible leaders like Sarah, but also her dogged work in demonstrating that she is an effective lawmaker who will deliver real results,” Robinson added.