State Senator Sarah McBride announced Monday that she would run for the US House of Representatives at-large seat from Delaware, a bid that, if successful, would make her the first openly transgender member of the US Congress. .us
The seat is currently held by Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester, a Democrat who said Wednesday she would seek the Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Thomas R. Carper. Both elections will be held next year.
Ms. McBride, 32, is no stranger to scoops: In 2012, she became the first openly transgender person to work in the White House, as an intern in President Barack Obama’s administration. She won her Wilmington-based state Senate seat in 2020 with more than 70 percent of the general election vote, becoming the first openly transgender legislator in that position nationwide, and ran unopposed for a second. mandate last year.
His candidacy comes during a spate of Republican-led policies targeting LGBTQ people.
This year, 17 states have passed bills targeting gender-affirming care for transgender youth, a sharp increase from the three states that had previously passed restrictions. And there are discussions to ban LGBTQ-related information for K-12 students in states like Florida, where laws prevent public schools from teaching about sexual orientation and gender identity.
Ms. McBride, also a former national press secretary for the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBTQ advocacy organization, is likely to face a major challenge in her solidly blue district. But he has extensive political capital in the state, helped by his relationship with President Biden, who wrote the foreword to his 2018 memoir. He also worked on attorney general campaigns for Beau Biden, his son who died in 2015.
Ms. McBride recently spoke to The New York Times about her candidacy. Excerpts from this conversation have been edited for clarity and length.
What issues do you hope to prioritize in your campaign?
Unfortunately, there were so many parts of the Build Back Better Act that were left on the courtroom, and it will be critical for Congress to take back those policies, like paid family and medical leave, affordable early childhood education, and elder care. . Those kinds of policies will be at the center of my campaign, as will the policies I fought for in the Delaware General Assembly, like gun safety and reproductive rights. One of the issues in which we have to continue advancing is climate change. We cannot build a fairer world if we do not protect our planet.
A wave of bills in recent years has affected transgender people, such as limiting transition procedures for children and restricting which bathrooms transgender people can use. What are your concerns for the future?
The policies you mentioned are incorrect and unconstitutional, and are an attempt by MAGA Republicans to distract from the fact that they have absolutely no agenda for the families and workers of our country. They are solutions in search of a problem. They are cruel, and we know that policies directed at young people, at parents, at families, at vulnerable people in our society, have never gotten along in history. I truly believe that democracy only works when it includes all of us.
What should members of your party do to respond to these laws?
I am incredibly proud that the Democratic Party has been unwavering in its support of LGBTQ rights. We have seen Democrats from Montana, Nebraska, Virginia, and Delaware make it clear that attacks on vulnerable members of our communities, including LGBTQ youth, will not continue and we will do everything we can to stop them.
People across the country are eager for politicians to attract our better angels and focus on the issues that really matter to them. I don’t think discriminating against children and parents is a priority for voters in Delaware or across the country.
As we enter 2024, President Biden is struggling to maintain public approval. In his opinion, what should he and other Democrats be thinking?
The Democrats have a solid track record for running, and there’s obviously unfinished business ahead. This president has focused on working families, on recognizing that we all have a responsibility to one another. I believe that if this president continues to contrast his priorities with the made-up problems and culture wars of the right, that this president is going to win.
There’s a kind of scrutiny that historically comes with being first. Worried about kickback?
There will certainly be attacks, but I am no stranger to them. What I’ve shown in the past few years is that I can move past those attacks and focus on what’s important to the people I represent. Congress is certainly different than the Delaware State Senate, but I am confident that when I get there, by focusing on issues that affect people of all parties, of all ideologies, and in all parts of our state, I will be able to find common ground. with people I vehemently disagree with.
