Nancy Pelosi, others endorse McBride in run for Delaware's congressional seat

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The race for Delaware’s sole congressional seat has taken shape as state Sen. Sarah McBride clinches the Democratic nomination and Republican challenger Donyale Hall files her candidacy. 

When former state Housing Authority Director Eugene Young suspended his campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives last week, it paved the way for McBride to secure the state Democratic Party’s nomination, along with endorsements from U.S. House Democratic leadership and House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi.  

McBride also recently received the support of current Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester for the congressional seat, which Blunt Rochester is vacating to run for U.S. Senate.  

YOUNG DROPS FROM RACE: Former Delaware housing authority director suspends congressional campaign pursuit

The Democrat said she is “incredibly grateful” and “humbled” by the support she has received from the seasoned federal politicians.  

“Nancy Pelosi is the most effective speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives in modern history, and she is a leader who knows what it takes to get things done,” McBride said. She “has fostered change that will go down in the history books, and to have her support in this campaign is an honor.” 

With Hall officially filing her candidacy with the state Department of Elections on Friday, McBride will face the Republican challenger in the general election in November.  

Republican challenger files candidacy 

Hall, a veteran, Dover resident and small-business owner, filed for political office on June 14, setting up a face-off with McBride in November.  

The deadline for candidates to file for office in the First State is noon on July 9.  

Hall, who is biracial, received the Delaware GOP endorsement for the congressional seat in May.  

She also is a familiar face in Delaware politics, having unsuccessfully run for Dover City Council last year. She also ran for lieutenant governor on the Republican Party line in 2020 and sought the Republican nomination for state Senate District 17 in 2018. 

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Hall moved to Dover as a child when her father was serving at the military base and graduated from Caesar Rodney High School in 1987. She was a communications/navigations systems specialist in the Air Force from 1990-94 and majored in electrical engineering at the Citadel Military College of South Carolina in her off-duty hours. She earned her master's degree in business administration, with an emphasis in finance, from Wilmington University in 2008, according to her campaign website biography.

“I feel I bring unique vantage points to the things that I feel are problematic with our government,” Hall has said. “I’m just continuing to forge a pathway that provides opportunity for people.” 

Her campaign touts a focus on cutting “wasteful spending in Washington,” while creating more jobs and lowering costs and inflation; getting tough on crime and standing with law enforcement; and improving the education system by “putting the decision-making process back in the hands of parents.” 

Widespread Democratic support 

Beyond the state Democratic Party’s support given shortly after Young announced he was suspending his campaign, other influential politicians and groups have rallied behind McBride.  

Blunt Rochester, who is pursuing the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by current Sen. Tom Carper, praised McBride for her “collaborative spirit. 

“Sarah led the effort to pass paid family and medical leave, helped raise the minimum wage, and passed common sense gun safety laws,” Blunt Rochester said in an emailed statement. “As Delaware’s congresswoman, I know what it takes to deliver for our state and that Sarah will hit the ground running as our state’s lone member of the U.S. House.” 

Pelosi also lauded McBride’s trailblazing efforts in her endorsement of the state senator, noting that McBride’s “experience and leadership are needed in Congress now more than ever.

“And in fighting for LGBTQ+ rights, Sarah’s unrelenting work ethic demonstrates that she is not only a strong voice for Delaware, but also a powerful force for progress in our country,” Pelosi said in the endorsement. “I am so proud to join so many of my colleagues in the House in endorsing Sarah McBride – and I look forward to serving alongside her.” 

McBride has received dozens of endorsements from lead union and advocacy groups, and on Monday was endorsed by House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark, and House Democratic Chair Pete Aguilar along with outgoing Sen. Carper.  

McBride’s priorities if elected 

The Delaware senator is not taking anything for granted and is continuing to work her “heart out to earn the privilege” of representing Delawareans in the congressional seat.  

Many of the efforts she has pushed in the General Assembly she will take to the U.S. House, including expanding health care access, supporting workers and unions, addressing the “epidemic of gun violence,” and protecting reproductive freedoms. 

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“We need federal action and federal investment on all these issues,” McBride said. “And just as they have been my priority in the Delaware General Assembly where I’ve made meaningful progress, where I’ve passed legislation that many thought we’d never be able to pass, those will be my priorities in the U.S. House of Representatives as well.” 

McBride stressed that when it comes to reproductive freedom, whether it is access to abortion or fertility treatments, like in-vitro fertilization, federal lawmakers should not become complacent. 

The U.S. Supreme Court last week unanimously preserved access to abortion pills like mifepristone, but McBride emphasized that the body ruled against the challenge “on technical grounds.” 

She warned that the judicial body has shown what they are capable of, particularly with the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade.  

“They’ve made clear in concurring opinions in that decision that they aren’t going to stop with abortion care, and so the stakes could not be higher,” she said. “We shouldn’t pretend, despite some of the claims by MAGA extremists, that right-wing Republicans aren’t going to try to implement their Alabama and Texas agenda at a federal level. They absolutely will if given the chance.” 

Got a tip? Contact Amanda Fries at afries@delawareonline.com. Follow her on X at @mandy_fries.