Delaware Democrat Sarah McBride projected to become first transgender member of Congress: AP

'Delaware has sent the message loud and clear, ' McBride said on X

WATCH LIVE: 2024 Election Day results

Up-to-date results from the 2024 election.

Sarah McBride, a Delaware state senator, is projected to become the first openly transgender lawmaker elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, according to The Associated Press. 

McBride easily defeated Republican John Whalen III Tuesday in the race for Delaware’s lone House seat. Whalen is a retired construction company owner and former state trooper who ran a shoestring campaign in his first bid for public office.

"Thank you, Delaware! Because of your votes and your values, I am proud to be your next member of Congress," McBride wrote on X, formerly Twitter, Tuesday night. 

"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 our families, that ensures that housing and health care are available to everyone and that this is a democracy that is big enough for all of us."

FOX NEWS PROJECTS JUSTICE VICTORY IN WEST VIRGINIA AS GOP FLIPS SENATE SEAT

Sarah McBride

Sarah McBride, Democratic U.S. House candidate for Delaware, in Wilmington, Del., Oct. 16, 2024. McBride will become the first openly transgender U.S. lawmaker. (Hannah Yoon/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

McBride has established a national profile as an LGBTQ activist and raised more than $3 million in campaign contributions from around the country. The progressive lawmaker has also taken a firm stance against legislative bans on transgender people in sports. 

McBride achieved national recognition at the 2016 Democratic National Convention as the first openly transgender person to address a major party convention in the U.S.

HEAD HERE FOR THE LATEST FOX NEWS ELECTION RESULTS

I Voted stickers are ready to be given out as citizens go through the voting process at Scheig Center & Gardens on Election Day

"I voted" stickers at Scheig Center & Gardens on Election Day Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Appleton, Wis.  (Dan Powers/USA Today Network-Wisconsin)

McBride became the first-ever transgender state senator in the U.S. after winning election to the Delaware Senate in 2020. The activist-turned-politician, 33, has argued there needs to be more diverse representation in Congress.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

The Associated Press and Fox News' Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.

Jamie Joseph is a writer who covers politics. She leads Fox News Digital coverage of the Senate. 

Authored by Jamie Joseph via FoxNews November 5th 2024