Center for American Progress

STATEMENT: CAP’s Neera Tanden on Sarah McBride’s Historic Win As The Nation’s First Transgender State Senator
Press Statement

STATEMENT: CAP’s Neera Tanden on Sarah McBride’s Historic Win As The Nation’s First Transgender State Senator

Washington, D.C. — On a night featuring many historic firsts, Delaware State Senator-elect Sarah McBride became the first transgender woman in U.S. history to win an election to a state senate seat.

McBride, the former campaign and communications manager with the LGBT Research and Communications Project at the Center for American Progress, captured nearly three-quarters of the vote in Delaware’s State Senate District 1 and won more raw votes than any other state senate candidate running in a contested race. In response, Neera Tanden, president of the Center for American Progress, issued the following statement:

With her election to the Delaware State Senate, Sarah McBride once again made history, becoming not only the first openly transgender person elected to a U.S. state senate but also the country’s highest-ranking transgender elected official.

Representation is important, and we should seek a government that reflects the diversity of our country. Sarah’s election sends an incredibly encouraging signal to transgender Americans that they can live their lives openly and freely, even when seeking elected office. All of us at the Center for American Progress are proud of all that Sarah has accomplished already, and the important work she will accomplish as a legislator, and we look forward to seeing the next generation of leaders Sarah will inspire.

For more information or to speak with an expert, contact Adam Peck at [email protected].