McBride and Whalen’s US House race sets the stage for a potentially historic outcome
DOVER, Del. — Delaware voters are poised to make history when they elect the next occupant of the state’s only seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Democrat Senator Sarah McBride would be the first openly transgender person to serve in Congress if she were to defeat Republican businessman John Whalen III on Tuesday.
With significant advantages in party registration numbers and campaign contributions, McBride is considered the favorite in the House race. Whalen is a construction company owner and retired state trooper who has little name recognition and is making his first bid for public office. In mid-October, he reported raising less than $7,000 in campaign contributions.
McBride, meanwhile, has built a national profile as an LGBTQ activist, raising more than $3.5 million in campaign contributions from across the country. She gained national recognition at the 2016 Democratic National Convention as the first openly transgender person to address a major party convention in the United States.
After winning the Democratic primary in September with an easy victory, McBride said she was not running for Congress to make history, but instead “to make historic progress for the people of Delaware.”
As a state senator, McBride built a reputation for his work in health care, including successfully sponsoring legislation to create a statewide paid family and medical leave insurance program. She also sponsored legislation related to Medicaid reimbursement rates for home health care services and expanded access to dental care for low-income Delawareans. Another bill she sponsored imposed a 3.58% tax on the net revenues of Delaware hospitals to mobilize additional federal Medicaid funds. All of these bills became law.
Whalen declined to appear with McBride for a debate at the University of Delaware last month. His campaign platform focuses on stopping illegal immigration at the U.S. southern border, reducing government spending and balancing the federal budget.
Democrats have held the seat in the US House of Representatives in Delaware since 2011. This year’s race began last year after Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester said she would finish this term and run for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by fellow Democrat Tom Carper.
The polling stations are open on Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.