Sarah McBride, who is currently the highest-ranking trans elected official in the US, has launched her bid to run for Congress. If she wins, she will be the first trans person elected to federal office in history.
McBride stated she is “certainly cognizant of the uniqueness of my candidacy, of the uniqueness that my voice would bring to the halls of Congress.” She added, “Ultimately, I’m not running to be a trans member of Congress,“ but rather “focused on making progress on all of the issues that matter to Delawareans of every background”.
Similar to her campaign while running for state senator, she does not want to make her gender the centerpiece of her identity and platform. She says her aim is to serve as a “senator who happens to be transgender.”
“This campaign isn’t just about making history – it’s about moving forward. To strengthen our democracy, we need effective leaders who believe in taking bold action and building bridges for lasting progress,” McBride said.
In her announcement video, McBride states campaign centers around making “government work better for the people” and deterring those who want to “divide” society, showing footage of polarizing figures in politics such as Majorie Greene Taylor and Ron DeSantis.
“Too many politicians want to divide us, to tell us that teachers, doctors, and even our neighbors are our enemy,” she says. “Blocking out the noise and focusing on what matters isn’t easy…it takes guts and backbone.”
The congressional election will be held in 2024.
Since her election to Delaware’s state Senate in 2020, McBride’s most notable contribution was her sponsorship of a bill that gives eligible workers up to 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave. It was passed in early 2022 and will take effect in 2025.
“My commitment is to the people in Delaware who aren’t seen, who don’t shout the loudest or fund political campaigns: parents busy raising their children, seniors worried about paying for prescription drugs, and working people struggling to keep up,” McBride said in a statement.
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