Delaware State Senator Sarah McBride won her primary in the fight to be Delaware’s only Representative in the House of Representatives. Her campaign represents an unprecedented moment for Delaware politics and the nation, as McBride would become the first transgender representative if successful in November’s general election.
McBride superseded Earl Cooper and Elias Weir with 79.9% of the vote as compared to their 16.2% and 3.9%, respectively. In November, she will face Republican challenger John Whalen in the general election.
In a packed Wilmington Union Hall, McBride was joined by supporters and elected officials to celebrate the primary win, with many voters expressing the impactful nature of the victory.
Danielle Logan, a supporter of McBride, shared concerns that have informed her backing of the campaign.
“I am afraid to bring my child to the south,” Logan said. “I don’t want to be afraid to travel if you are queer. I’m actually tearing up a little bit because I never thought this [campaign] would happen when I was growing up.”
Aaron Kupchick, a professor at the university, supported McBride because he is “interested in candidates who are more progressive, who support diversity, and who support women’s rights.”
Another supporter, Chris Yocum, resonated with electing more LGBTQ+ legislators because of his own experiences.
“My husband and I were together for 19 years before we could marry,” he said. “We are a binational couple too, so he also couldn’t emigrate until we got married.”
Civil liberties groups have also shown their support for the campaign. Kelley Robinson, the president of the Human Rights Campaign, celebrated in New Castle with McBride on her historic win.
“[Sarah’s] done historic work in Delaware expanding Medicaid [and] passing paid family leave,” Robinson said. “She did historic work with the Human Rights Campaign, advocating for our issues. She’s someone that doesn’t just talk the talk, but she walks the walk.”
In thinking about the impact of McBride’s campaign on future generations of LGBTQ+ Americans, Delphine Luneau, the deputy director of communications at the Human Rights Campaign, spoke on the experiences of trans youth.
“Trans kids, they just want to go to school,” Luneau said. “They want to play sports with their friends, they want to go to the movies, they want to figure out what their college career is going to be. They’re not really fundamentally any different than any other kid. They’re just trying to live their lives.”
Equality Delaware President Lisa Goodman echoed similar tones.
“For my wife and I, it means another step in progress, toward representation, toward having people that look like all of America at the table,” Goodman said. “You know, as Sarah often says, ‘it is harder to be up close.’”
Goodman insisted that McBride’s ability as a legislator will set her up for success and being a voice for Delaware in Congress.
“I have had the honor of personally watching her be a state senator and [tackle] hard bills and get people to agreement on both sides of the aisle, and I think we all are incredibly excited about her being a voice in Congress,” Goodman said.
At the end of the night, with the once-packed Union Hall now empty, McBride reflected on all that led her here; from the vested relationship between her and her voters to the support of her family, friends and campaign staff.
“Looking out on the room of family and friends and supporters, and the folks who work on this campaign, who have put and are putting their all into this, I will never forget that image,” she said.
But for McBride, the road is a long one.
“Governing is the art of addition, changemaking is the art of addition, and we have to grow our coalition,” McBride said. “Any therapist will tell you that the first step to healing is to have your pain seen and validated.
“I think we need elected officials to model that type of radical compassion, who are willing to see the very real pain that exists across the political divide and understand that you don’t have to be right politically for what you’re facing to be wrong, and you don’t have to be right to have that wrong righted.”
In her acceptance speech, McBride’s jubilation shined as she thanked her voters and looked to the future.
“Hope and joy are making a comeback in America, and it is our job over the next eight weeks to spread that joy, to spread that hope.”