U.S. Rep Lisa Blunt Rochester is poised to make history in Delaware Senate race

Delaware’s U.S. Senate race stands to be a historic one, as U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester is poised to become the state’s first Black person and first woman U.S. Senator.

If elected, she’ll be the fourth-ever Black woman U.S. Senator.

Blunt Rochester is running for Sen. Tom Carper’s position. Carper announced his retirement last year and immediately threw his support behind Blunt Rochester. She ran unopposed in the Democratic primary and is expected to defeat her Republican challenger, businessman Eric Hansen. Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-to-1 in Delaware.

Blunt Rochester got her start in politics as a new mother when she interned in then-Congressman Carper’s office in 1988.

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She eventually became the deputy secretary of the Delaware Department of Health and Social Services and was appointed Delaware’s first female and first Black labor secretary in 1998. Later, she managed Delaware’s workforce as state personnel director.

Born in Philadelphia and raised in Wilmington, Blunt Rochester, 62, shot her campaign launch video at Bright Hope Baptist Church in North Philadelphia, where she was baptized years before. She used the slogan “bright hope” throughout the campaign cycle.

As a congresswoman, Blunt Rochester has championed economic issues. She introduced the bipartisan “Promoting Resilient Supply Chains Act,” which passed the House in May. She’s an abortion-rights advocate and introduced a criminal justice reform bill to seal the records of people with low-level drug offenses.

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A self-described “pragmatic optimist,” Blunt Rochester has sought to turn her personal struggles into opportunities for change throughout her legislative career. She’s worked on issues including Black women’s maternal health, created a bipartisan caucus for tech-focused workforce preparation, and wants to start what she calls “a menopause movement.”

Blunt Rochester comes from a political family. Her father, Ted Blunt, was an educator and served on the Wilmington City Council for nearly 25 years. Her family has been connected to President Joe Biden’s for decades. One of her two sisters worked in Biden’s Senate office, and the president campaigned alongside her father.

In 2020, and again in 2024, Biden tapped Blunt Rochester to serve as a co-chair for his presidential campaign. She also served on the committee to select Biden’s vice president and was instrumental in helping to choose Vice President Kamala Harris.