Democrat Sarah McBride becomes first openly transgender member of US Congress

By Moira Warburton

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrat Sarah McBride became the first openly transgender person elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, Edison Research projected on Tuesday, winning election to Delaware's at-large seat.

McBride, a 34-year-old state senator, won a competitive primary for Delaware's at-large congressional district, considered safely Democratic, in September.

She became the first openly transgender person to serve as a state senator when she was elected in 2020, first to speak at a U.S. national political party convention in 2016, and first to intern at the White House in 2012, under Democratic former President Barack Obama.

In an interview with Reuters ahead of her election, McBride sought to focus instead on the issues she would prioritize, rather than the history-making nature of her candidacy.

"Whenever you are first, you often have to try to be the best version that you can," she said, acknowledging that comes with "added responsibilities."

"But none of them matter if I don't fulfill the responsibility of just being the best member of Congress that I can be for Delaware," she said.

Lawmakers in 37 U.S. states introduced at least 142 bills to restrict gender-affirming healthcare for trans and gender-expansive people in 2023, Reuters reported, nearly three times as many as the previous year.

In Congress, Republicans have pushed anti-trans bills at the national level for years.

McBride grew up in Wilmington, Delaware, and came out in 2011 after years of knowing she was trans.

She became involved in politics in part to create a more inclusive environment.

Asked what message young transgender Americans should take from her expected election, McBride said, "Anyone who worries that the heart of this country is not big enough to love them should know that they belong ... Our democracy is big enough for all of us."

(Reporting by Moira Warburton; Editing by Scott Malone and Daniel Wallis)