Sarah McBride is the winner of Delaware state Senate race, making her the first and only openly transgender state senator in the U.S. This will also make her the country's highest-ranking transgender official.
"I hope tonight shows an LGBTQ kid that our democracy is big enough for them, too," McBride, 30, tweeted Tuesday night after the election was called. "As Delaware continues to face the Covid crisis, it's time to get to work to invest in the policies that will make a difference for working families."
McBride defeated Republican Steve Washington to represent Delaware's 1st Senate District after the incumbent Democrat Harris McDowell who did not seek re-election after 44 years. The 1st District covers Bellefonte, Claymont and parts of Wilmington, the state's largest city.
"I've spent my life fighting for people to have dignity, peace of mind, and a fair shot at staying afloat and getting ahead," McBride said in a statement announcing her candidacy last year. "Sen. McDowell's retirement at the end of this term is a well-deserved cap on a remarkable career of public service, and now our neighbors need someone who will continue to fight for them."
McBride made national headlines in 2012, when she stepped down as American University's student body president and came out as transgender in the school's student newspaper. While in college she interned with the Obama administration and became the first out transgender woman to work in the White House.
Photo: Getty