Delaware State Sen. Sarah McBride gets Dem support toward becoming first openly transgender U.S. Congress member

The results of Delaware’s Democratic primary Tuesday secured a big win for the LGBTQ community.

State Sen. Sarah McBride won the Democratic primary for Delaware’s lone seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. It positions her to make history as the first openly transgender person elected to Congress.

“With a heart full of hope — and because of tens of thousands of Delawareans who turned out to the polls — tonight I’m proud to become the Democratic nominee for Delaware’s sole seat in the United States House of Representatives,” McBride wrote on Instagram after her race was called.

The 34-year-old legislator is already the highest-ranking openly transgender elected official in the nation. Still, she says that’s only a facet of who she is and isn’t why she’s running.

“I’m not running to make history, I’m running to make historic progress for Delawareans,” McBride said. “The only identity I want to be known for is my identity as a proud Delawarean.”

McBride will face James Whalen IIII, a retired state police officer and construction company owner from Millsboro, who won the GOP primary race. Democrats have held the seat since 2010.

McBride won Tuesday’s primary over businessmen Earl Cooper and Elias Weir, neither of whom was considered a serious competitor or reported raising any money for their respective campaigns. Cooper is a political newcomer, while Weir finished last in a 2016 congressional primary with less than 1% of the vote.

Meanwhile, McBride raised almost $3 million. She achieved national recognition at the 2016 Democratic National Convention as the first openly transgender person to address a major party convention in the United States. She has since garnered a slew of supporters ranging from local unions to national groups like the Sierra Club and Giffords (Gabby Giffords’ gun-control PAC) to celebrity endorsements like Delaware native Aubrey Plaza. President Joe Biden wrote the foreword for McBride’s 2018 memoir.

The House seat is being vacated by Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, a Philly native, who has no primary opponent as she seeks the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Democratic Sen. Tom Carper, who has held the seat since 2001. With a victory in November, Blunt Rochester would be the state’s first Black U.S. senator.

Transgender and LGBTQ issues have become a polarizing issue this election cycle. Lawmakers in Republican-led states have pushed for restrictions on gender-affirming care for minors, bathroom access, representation in books, drag shows, and the makeup of sports teams. The Biden administration has pushed to expand transgender rights in schools and federal health-care programs.

Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, continue to champion LGBTQ rights. Walz faced mixed reviews along party lines for his work to include menstrual hygiene products in public school bathrooms, regardless of gender. Under Walz, Minnesota was one of the first states to protect gender-affirming care through an executive order, while other states banned or limited access to it.

This article contains information from the Associated Press.