Democratic Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester is projected to become Delaware’s first Black woman senator, per NBC News.
On Tuesday (November 5), Blunt Rochester became the projected winner of a Delaware Senate seat, defeating Republican Eric Hansen and Independent Mike Katz.
The win makes Blunt Rochester the first Black woman to ever represent Delaware in the Senate.
Blunt Rochester, who is in her fourth term in the House, is no stranger to making history. She is currently the first woman and the first Black person to represent Delaware in Congress.
The Democratic lawmaker told NBC News that her bid for Senate was much bigger than breaking barriers. California’s Laphonza Butler is currently the only Black woman serving in the Senate and just the third in history.
“I’m not doing this to make history,” Blunt Rochester said. “I’m doing this to make a difference.”
Blunt Rochester will fill the seat being vacated by Democratic Sen. Tom Carper, a longtime mentor who hired her as a congressional intern when she was a graduate student.
Ahead of Election Day, Blunt Rochester said she is seeking to create jobs, protect reproductive rights and health care, and center the needs of seniors and families. Despite her lead in the polls, Blunt Rochester noted she was still fighting to earn every vote.
Delaware is “urban, suburban and coastal,” she said. “It’s a blue state, but we vote blue, red, and purple. I am letting voters know that I want to represent everyone. If I go to the Senate, we all go.”
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