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Democrat Sarah McBride has beaten Republican John Whalen for Delaware's sole seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, making history.
Sarah McBride has won Delaware’s sole seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, MSNBC has called.
McBride has beaten Republican John Whalen III in the majority Democratic state, making her the first out transgender member of Congress. She succeeds Lisa Blunt Rochester, who vacated the post to run for U.S. Senate and also won.
"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."
Related: LIVE: Election Day 2024 coverage of LGBTQ+ issues
McBride became the first out trans state senator in the nation when she was elected to Delaware’s Senate in 2020. She also made history as the first out trans person to serve in the White House, during the Obama administration, and the first to speak at a major party’s national convention in 2016. Her 2018 memoir, Tomorrow Will Be Different: Love, Loss, and the Fight for Trans Equality, features a foreword written by President Joe Biden.
McBride spearheaded Delaware’s legislation to ban the “gay and trans panic” defense as a state senator, which prohibits defendants from justifying violent actions based on the discovery of a victim’s LGBTQ+ identity, convincing both Democrats and Republicans to cosponsor and support the bill. Her efforts have also helped to pass paid family and medical leave, gun safety measures, and protections for reproductive rights.
Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign, said that “America now has the opportunity to learn what Delawareans have long known — Sarah McBride is a devoted public servant, a bulldog for her constituents, and someone who represents the interests of everyone she serves."
"As the first openly transgender person to serve in Congress, her service is a landmark achievement on the march toward equality," Robinson said. "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. We are so proud of former HRC National Press Secretary and Congresswoman-elect Sarah McBride, excited to see her star rise, and thrilled to have this history-making champion reshaping the halls of Congress.”
"Sarah McBride is a great politician, great public servant," Annise Parker, president and CEO of the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, which had endorsed McBride, told The Advocate. In the Delaware Senate, McBride has always made clear that she's not a trans senator but a senator who's trans, and "she has been an amazingly effective legislator," Parker said.
In Congress, "while I don’t expect that MAGA people will stop attacking trans folks," McBride "may change some hearts and minds," Parker said. "It's hard to hate up close," she added.
More 2024 Election Coverage from The Advocate:
- Why The Advocate endorses Kamala Harris for president
- How pro-LGBTQ+ is Kamala Harris?
- Our 2024 LGBTQ+ voter guide
- Kamala Harris's 'first priority' as president
- Where does Donald Trump stand on LGBTQ+ rights?
- Kamala Harris: Our One-on-One With the Vice President
McBride's historic victory comes at a time when more than 550 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were introduced last year, and 80 were passed into law, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. Now, near the end of 2024, 531 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced, with 45 passed into law. The majority target transgender people and their rights to health care, bathroom use, and sports participation.
McBride told The Advocate in September that “while my candidacy reflects our progress, the urgency of this moment underscores the challenges we face."
“The negativity and hatred we see toward the trans community writ large bothers me, but the hatred and the insults that are directed specifically toward me don’t bother me any more than the broader hatred,” she said, adding, “We need people in federal office who have a proven record of rolling up their sleeves, diving into the details, and bringing people together to deliver lasting change."
