This Delaware lawmaker is hoping to become first openly transgender House member


Delaware State Senator Sarah McBride (D) announced that she would run for the state's U.S. House seat next year. If she is successful, the win will make her the first openly transgender member of the U.S. Congress.
Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) currently holds the seat, but she announced that she plans to put in her bid for the Senate seat vacated by Sen. Tom Carper (D) after he retires. Both elections are set to take place next year.
McBride is "no stranger to firsts," The New York Times noted, as she became the first openly transgender White House employee as an intern in former President Barack Obama's administration in 2012. She secured her state Senate seat with over 70 percent of the general election vote in 2020, making her the first openly transgender lawmaker in that position nationally. She ran unopposed for a second term last year. She is also the former national press secretary for the Human Rights Campaign, a prominent LGBTQ+ advocacy organization in the U.S.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"It's clear that diversity in government is necessary for us to not just ensure we have a healthy democracy but also to truly deliver for people," she told The News Journal in an interview. Though she acknowledges that her win would mark a historic first, "ultimately, I'm not running to be a trans member of Congress," she said.
McBride "is likely to face a primary challenge in her solidly blue district," the Times added. However, she holds "ample political capital in the state" due to her relationship with President Biden. The president wrote the foreword for her 2018 memoir, and she also worked on the attorney general campaigns for his late son Beau Biden, who died in 2015.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Theara Coleman has worked as a staff writer at The Week since September 2022. She frequently writes about technology, education, literature and general news. She was previously a contributing writer and assistant editor at Honeysuckle Magazine, where she covered racial politics and cannabis industry news.
-
July 11 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Friday's political cartoons include Donald Trump and English lessons for Liberia, the MAGA weather forecast, Pete Hegseth, and the incredible disappearing Epstein files.
-
Quiz of The Week: 5 – 11 July
Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
-
How many people are working illegally in the UK?
The Explainer Government vows 'nationwide blitz' on illicit workforce believed to number in the hundreds of thousands
-
Trump threatens Brazil with 50% tariffs
Speed Read He accused Brazil's current president of leading a 'witch hunt' against far-right former leader Jair Bolsonaro
-
AI scammer fakes Rubio messages to top officials
Speed Read The unknown individual mimicked Rubio in voice and text messages sent to multiple government officials
-
SCOTUS greenlights Trump's federal firings
speed read The Trump administration can conduct mass federal firings without Congress' permission, the Supreme Court ruled
-
New tariffs set on 14 trading partners
Speed Read A new slate of tariffs will begin August 1 on imports from Japan, South Korea, Thailand and more
-
Elon Musk launching 'America Party'
Speed Read The tech mogul promised to form a new political party if Trump's megabill passed Congress
-
Judge blocks Trump's asylum ban at US border
Speed Read The president violated federal law by shutting down the US-Mexico border to asylum seekers, said the ruling
-
Thai court suspends prime minister over leaked call
Speed Read Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has been suspended, pending an ethics investigation
-
Senate passes GOP megabill after Alaska side deal
The pivotal yes vote came from Sen. Lisa Murkowski, whose support was secured following negotiated side deals for her home state Alaska