(ETH) – Sarah McBride has reportedly won her State Senate race in the state of Delaware, making her the first openly transgender person to be elected to that position nationwide.
According to the New York Times, McBride will be sworn in, she will as the nation’s highest-ranking transgender elected official. McBride, 30, a Democrat and an activist, easily defeated Steve Washington, a Republican, in the First State Senate District, including Wilmington and leans heavily left.
McBride was briefly interviewed on Tuesday night, where she said she was “incredibly grateful” to the residents of her district and would keep her focus on serving them. McBride also said she hoped that the results of the election would send a “message to a young person struggling with where they fit and how they fit into this world: that our democracy is big enough for them too and their voices matter.”
“I am hopeful that there’s a young person desperately in need of that message, who, just before going to bed, looked online and saw this result,” she said. “For that person, they know that change is possible and things can get better.” In a statement, Annise Parker, president of the L.G.B.T.Q.
Victory Fund, called Ms. McBride’s win “a powerful testament to the growing influence of transgender leaders in our politics.” “Whatever message is sent tonight to L.G.B.T.Q. people, that message isn’t sent by me, it’s sent by the voters,” Ms. McBride said. “I think that is the most important thing for me and all of us to remember.”
