Sarah McBride, a Delaware state senator, made history as the first openly transgender person elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.

“Thank you, Delaware! Because of your votes and your values, I am proud to be your next member of Congress,” McBride wrote on the race for McBride.

“Delaware has sent the message loud and clear that we must be a country that protects reproductive freedom, that guarantees paid leave and affordable child care for all of our families, that ensures that housing and health care are available to all, and that a democracy is big enough for all of us.”

McBride, 34, won the Delaware House of Representatives seat in Tuesday's general election against Republican candidate John Whalen III, a former Delaware state police officer and businessman. The representative seat, the only one for Delaware, has been Democratic since 2010, The New York Times reported.

McBride defeated three other Democratic candidates in the September primary race, securing her nomination and eventual victory. She maintained her lead over Whalen in the race, at times by more than 20 percentage points.

Ahead of Tuesday's election, McBride spoke about what it would mean to be the first transgender person elected to Congress, telling CBS News: “It's a testament to Delawarians that the candidacy of someone like is even possible for me.”

McBride's election victory is not the first time in her political career that she has made history. She became the first openly transgender person ever elected to a Senate seat in 2020 after becoming a Democratic member of the Delaware Senate. McBride was also the first openly transgender person to intern at the White House in 2012 during Barack Obama's administration. She later spoke at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, becoming the first transgender person to speak at the major political event.

Several key lawmakers have endorsed McBride's congressional campaign. Joe Biden, the US president and a Delaware native and longtime friend of McBride, publicly congratulated her on her primary victory in September. Current Delaware Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester also endorsed McBride ahead of the primary race.

McBride's campaign also received support from prominent organizations. Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit organization that advocates for gun control, endorsed McBride in early August, according to a statement posted online. The Planned Parenthood Action Fund also supported McBride in February.

Born and raised in Wilmington, Delaware, McBride showed an interest in politics from a young age, her parents told NBC News. As a young adult, McBride volunteered for several political campaigns, including Beau Biden's primary campaign and his re-election as Delaware attorney general.

In 2011, at age 21, McBride came out as a transgender woman in her university's student newspaper and in a viral Facebook post.

Since then, McBride has worked on various LGBTQ+ issues within and outside of her state. She worked in Delaware on anti-discrimination laws that provided protections for transgender people. She later served as national press secretary for the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group. McBride also taught public policy at the University of Delaware and wrote a 2018 memoir, “Tomorrow Will Be Different,” according to her Senate biography.

Throughout her campaign, McBride has acknowledged the historic nature of her candidacy but said her campaign focused on other critical issues. “I think people know that as an LGBTQ person, I personally care about equality,” McBride told CBS. “But my priorities will be affordable child care, paid family and medical leave, housing, health care and reproductive freedom.”

McBride added that she hopes her campaign can promote “empathy” for the trans community, especially as discrimination, prejudice and violence increase, the Human Rights Campaign reported.

“We know throughout history that the power of proximity has opened even the most closed hearts and minds,” McBride told CBS News. “And I still believe that the power of closeness appeals to what I believe to be the most basic human emotion, which is empathy.”

A record number of anti-trans bills continued to be considered in 2024, as Republican politicians continue to escalate their attacks on access to gender-affirming health care, trans participation in sports and other rights. According to data from Trans Legislation Tracker, an independent research organization that tracks anti-trans legislation, 661 bills targeted at transgender people were considered in 2024, compared to 604 bills the previous year.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump also repeated false, transphobic claims. His campaign and other Republican groups have spent more than $21 million on anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ+ television ads, ABC News reported. Republicans have spent a total of $65 million on such ads in more than a dozen states since August, according to the Times.

Before her victory, McBride told CBS in response to questions about Trump: “I wouldn't be the first person in Congress who is part of a community that Donald Trump has said outrageous things about.”

Read more of the Guardian's coverage of the 2024 US election