U.S. Rep Lisa Blunt Rochester makes history as Delaware’s first Black female senator

Democrat Lisa Blunt Rochester made history Tuesday as the first Black person and first woman to be elected to represent Delaware in the Senate. She will also be the fourth-ever Black woman senator.

She will succeed her mentor, U.S. Sen. Tom Carper, who announced his retirement before endorsing her last year. She currently serves as a Delaware congresswoman.

“We’re bringing bright hope to the United States Senate!” Blunt Rochester said in an ebullient acceptance speech Tuesday evening, referencing one of her campaign slogans. 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.

In her speech, she thanked the three Black women, including Vice President Kamala Harris, who served before her in the Senate, describing them as blazing the trail upon which she will now embark. She also addressed the young people who might be watching her trajectory.

“I see you, I’m grateful to you, and you’ve got next!” she said.

Her race was called by the Associated Press just as polls closed Tuesday night; she defeated her Republican challenger, businessman Eric Hansen, in an expected victory, since Delaware is a state where Democrats greatly outnumber Republicans.

The newly minted senator got her start in politics as a new mother when she interned in then-Rep. 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.

As a congresswoman, Blunt Rochester championed economic issues. She introduced the bipartisan “Promoting Resilient Supply Chains Act,” which passed the House in May. She is 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 has worked to improve Black women’s maternal health outcomes, 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, and 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 cochair for his presidential campaign. She also served on the committee to select Biden’s vice president and was instrumental in helping to choose Harris.

In her election night speech, Blunt Rochester emphasized bridging divides and said her journey to the Senate would be a collective one.

“When Lisa goes to Washington, we all go to Washington!” she said as the crowd cheered.