Sarah McBride will become the first openly transgender-identifying person to serve in Congress after winning Delaware’s at-large U.S. House seat Tuesday night. McBride, a Delaware state senator, is a biological man who identifies as a woman.
Delaware’s only House seat was vacated by outgoing Democratic Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, who made a successful bid for her state’s open U.S. Senate seat.
Just as Vice President Kamala Harris campaigned to the middle of her party this election cycle, McBride courted moderates by focusing on kitchen table issues instead of identity politics. The 34-year-old politician told CBS News that the congressional campaign was not about making history but restoring the American dream for the average voter.
“Just as I have done in the Delaware state Senate, I will focus on bringing down costs facing workers, their families, and retirees by providing affordable health care, housing, and child care to all of our neighbors,” McBride told the outlet.
With exit polls showing the economy was the biggest driver for voters this election cycle, McBride’s pivot to the middle makes sense. Yet McBride’s political career contains a host of left-wing activism. Before aspiring to political office, McBride worked on adding gender identity as a protected category under Delaware state nondiscrimination law and served as the national press secretary for the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group. McBride is also a strong supporter of abortion and was endorsed by Planned Parenthood and two other national abortion advocacy groups.
McBride’s election to the House comes after President-elect Donald Trump and running mate JD Vance campaigned on keeping biological men out of women’s sports and bathrooms. Conservative commentator and podcast host Megyn Kelly campaigned with Trump on the issue, declaring at a campaign rally that Trump is “a protector of women.”
The Trump campaign’s position is consistent with the vast majority of Americans. A Gallup poll published in June 2023 found that 69% of Americans believe transgender-identifying athletes should only compete on sports teams that align with their biological sex.
When asked about the incoming administration’s position on transgender issues, McBride told NPR, “I think the reality is, is that we’re going to see attacks on freedom for so many vulnerable people across this country. And it’s going to be our job in Congress to defend the rights and to defend the freedoms of all of the people that we represent.”
