Democratic candidate Sarah McBride on Tuesday won the election for the Delaware state senate. She defeated Republican nominee Steve Washington in the First State Senate District.

According to The New York Times, this makes McBride the first transgender person to hold the position in the United States. After taking charge, she will also be the highest-ranking elected transgender official in the country.

Annise Parker, President of the LGBTQ Victory Fund, hailed McBride’s victory and said, “This is a powerful testament to the growing influence of transgender leaders in our politics.”

Appreciating her supporters, McBride tweeted," We did it. We won the general election. Thank you, thank you, thank you."

We did it. We won the general election.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.— Sarah McBride (@SarahEMcBride) November 4, 2020

The vocal activist started out by interning at the White House during the Obama administration. She later lobbied the Delaware General Assembly on a transgender rights bill.

In 2016, McBride became the first transgender person to speak at a major party’s convention when she delivered her speech at the Democratic National Convention.

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According to News18, McBride firmly supports the Equality Act which Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has vouched to pass within 100 days if he gets elected as the President of USA.

In an earlier interview with The Associated Press, McBride stated, “I’m bringing my whole self to this race. My identity is one part of who I am, but it’s just one part.”

The 30 year old transgender activist added, “I would be legislating based not on my identity. I would be legislating based on my values and on the needs of my constituents.”

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(Edited by : Abhishek Jha)

First Published:Nov 5, 2020 4:01 PM IST