Delaware state senator could be first trans member of Congress

Delaware State Sen. Sarah McBride, who announced a congressional bid on Monday, would be the country’s first transgender member of Congress if she is elected.

“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 published Monday.

While McBride is aware of the potential to make history if she wins her House bid and the diversity her voice would bring to Capitol Hill, “ultimately, I'm not running to be a trans member of Congress,” she said.

She struck a similar tone during her state Senate campaign, in which she dubbed herself as “senator who happens to be transgender," the newspaper wrote.

McBride is running for Delaware's lone, at-large House seat, currently held by Democratic Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, who announced last week that she would mount a bid to replace retiring Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.). Both elections are slated for next year.

At 32 years old, McBride jump-started her political career more than a decade ago, when, as an intern, she became the first openly trans person to work in the Obama administration. She also served on the steering committee of Trans United for Hillary, a group that aimed to organize trans people and allies to support Hillary Clinton’s presidential bid in 2016.

Three years ago, McBride gained more than 70 percent of the general election vote to win her current Wilmington-based state Senate seat — and ran unopposed in the following election.