LGBTQ activist Sarah McBride just became the first transgender person to be elected to a state senate in U.S. history. Hers is the highest role in public office to be held by a trans individual.

McBride, the national press secretary for the Human Rights Campaign, won her bid for a seat on the Delaware State Senate on Tuesday, November 3. Prior to the 2020 general election, there were only four trans people serving in state legislatures, including trailblazing Virginia House of Delegates Representative Danica Roem, who wished McBride well after she secured the Democratic Party’s nomination in September. As NewNowNext previously reported, a whopping 93% of Delaware Dems voted for McBride to represent the party in the primary election.

"We did it. We won the general election," McBride tweeted Tuesday night. "Thank you, thank you, thank you. I hope tonight shows an LGBTQ kid that our democracy is big enough for them, too."

Before her run for state senate, McBride made history as the first openly trans person to work in the White House under President Barack Obama. The born-and-raised Delawarean ran on a policy platform of accessible health care, expanding paid family leave for new parents, supporting public schools, and reforming the state’s criminal justice system.

McBride’s campaign was endorsed by the LGBTQ Victory Fund, a nonprofit that helps LGBTQ candidates get elected to public office. She is one of at least 574 out LGBTQ candidates who appeared on the ballot on Tuesday’s general election.

In a statement, Annise Parker, president and CEO of the Victory Fund, commended McBride for her historic campaign and “overwhelming victory.”

Sarah’s overwhelming victory is a powerful testament to the growing influence of transgender leaders in our politics and gives hope to countless trans people looking toward a brighter future. Throughout this election cycle, Donald Trump and other cynical politicians attempted to use trans people as a political weapon, believing they could gain popularity by stoking fear and hate. For Sarah to shatter a lavender ceiling in such a polarizing year is a powerful reminder that voters are increasingly rejecting the politics of bigotry in favor of candidates who stand for fairness and equality. Her victory will inspire more trans people to follow in her footsteps and run for public office.

Congratulations, Sarah! Let’s keep that “Rainbow Wave” churning.