State Sen. Sarah McBride has won the Democratic primary for Delaware’s lone seat in the US House of Representatives in a bid to become the first openly transgender person elected to Congress.
“My heart is filled with hope and gratitude,” McBride told The Associated Press. “I’m grateful, I’m hopeful and I’m motivated.”
McBride said Tuesday’s results reflect the “goodness” of Delawareans who judge a candidate “based on ability, not identity.”
“I’m not running to make history,” McBride said. “I’m running to make historic progress for Delawareans.”
“The only identity I want to be known for is my identity as a proud Delawarean,” she said, adding that she wasn’t saying her identity doesn’t matter. “It’s just one part of who I am.”
McBride won Tuesday’s primary over businessmen Earl Cooper and Elias Weir, neither of whom reported raising any money for their campaigns. Cooper is a political newcomer, while Weir finished dead last in a 2016 congressional primary with less than 1% of the vote.
McBride, meanwhile, raised almost $3 million in contributions from around the country. McBride 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.
McBride will face James Whalen III, a retired state police officer and construction company owner from Millsboro, who won the GOP primary race against Donyale Hall, a Dover businesswoman and a Gulf War-era veteran of the US Air Force. Democrats have held the seat since 2010.
The House seat is being vacated by Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, who has no primary opponent as she seeks the US Senate seat being vacated by Democratic Sen. Tom Carper. With a victory in November, Blunt Rochester could become one of only two Black women in the Senate next year, joining Angela Alsobrooks of neighboring Maryland if she is also victorious in her campaign.
This story has been updated with additional information.