Sarah McBride, Delaware state senator and candidate for United States Representative, speaks to a voter outside of a coffee shop in Wilmington, Delaware, on Oct. 26, 2024.
The United States has elected its first openly transgender member of Congress. On Tuesday, Democrat Sarah McBride, a state senator from Delaware, won the state’s at-large seat in the House of Representatives. The seat has been a reliable win for the Democrats, but McBride won a competitive primary.
Her win comes against the backdrop of a Trump campaign and broader Republican anti-transgender push, including tens of millions of dollars in advertising. In recent years, Congress and state legislatures have advanced bills to restrict transgender health care, limit the discussion of transgender issues in schools, and block transgender athletes from participating in organized sports.
The Republicans secured the White House and Senate on Tuesday and may end up winning the House. The Trump administration and Congress could then further push for anti-transgender legislation, a fight into which McBride may be drawn front and center.
Trump has promised to ask Congress to ban the registration of any gender at birth except male or female and to repeal the transgender Title IX protections enacted by the Biden administration.