Lisa Blunt Rochester becomes first Black woman to represent Delaware in US Senate
Lisa Blunt Rochester, 62, will be the first Black Delawarean and the first woman to represent the First State in the Senate.
NEW CASTLE, Del. — Delaware voters just sent Lisa Blunt Rochester to the U.S. Senate.
Blunt Rochester, 62, will be the first Black Delawarean and the first woman to represent the First State in the Senate. She's the third Black woman elected to the chamber out of more than 2,000 in U.S. history. And, the Wilmington, Delaware, native has already spent nearly eight years working as the state's first federal representative of color and first woman in Congress.
She has said she’s "not running to make history" — but more interested in making an impact.
Blunt Rochester will fill the shoes of her longtime mentor and first boss in politics, Sen. Tom Carper. She has long been seen as a likely candidate for the seat though Carper maintained a firm grip for over two decades.
He called on Blunt Rochester to run for office when he announced his retirement last spring. She also found support from President Joe Biden, who personally endorsed her for the seat just last week.
Now, she'll make it her own.
"I stand here before you tonight extremely humbled and with a heart filled with gratitude to God and to the people of Delaware who put their trust in me," Delaware's senator-elect said to an impassioned crowd, dedicating her win to her late father and longtime Wilmington leader, Ted Blunt. She also thanked her staff and volunteers, her mother, and other family members.
"Here is my commitment to you: That I will go to the Senate, each and every day, with you in my heart on my mind," she said to the crowd in her remarks. "Whether you voted for me or not."
Blunt Rochester highlighted promises like fighting higher costs, protecting jobs and strong benefits, as well as "common sense" gun reform and policy to combat climate change, as she steps into the Senate.
AP's call came swiftly after polls closed in Delaware at 8 p.m. ET, defeating Republican challenger Eric Hansen and Independent Mike Katz. Delaware has not swung to a Republican president in the last eight elections, according to the AP, and state Republicans have not won a U.S. Senate seat in particular since 1994.
Who is Delaware's newest senator?
Blunt Rochester first stepped into politics in Carper's own congressional office.
In the 1980s, the young mom interned there before becoming a case worker, and then later serving in his gubernatorial Cabinet as labor secretary. Blunt Rochester also worked as the late Gov. Ruth Ann Minner’s personnel director, and she was the CEO of the Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League.
As her career grew, her first boss in politics told her to run. He also joined her Tuesday night.
When Blunt Rochester decided to run after losing her husband, Charles, unexpectedly in 2014, she said Carper also sat down with her and discussed what Congress is like. He continued to be a mentor.
"I want to thank you," Blunt Rochester said to Carper in the crowd. "And I will tell you, I want to build on your incredible legacy."
Back when she first ran in 2016, Blunt Rochester beat out a much more crowded primary and ultimately clinched Delaware's sole House seat.
There, she worked as a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and the New Democrats Coalition, a centrist group of lawmakers. The congresswoman was also the first Delawarean in some 120 years to serve on the Agriculture Committee in the House.
When asked about legislative achievements, back when she announced her Senate run, Blunt Rochester pointed to clean air and drinking water legislation, the Inflation Reduction Act — in which she pushed to lower the cost of prescription drugs for seniors — and more. She was also the first member of Delaware's congressional delegation to call for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.
In September, Common Cause released a "2024 Democracy Scorecard," recording every member of Congress’ support for voting rights, Supreme Court ethics, and other reforms. Blunt Rochester managed to earn a perfect score, according to the nonpartisan watchdog group.
Blunt Rochester has said she looks at the Senate as a place to "serve a deeper level," from codifying Roe v. Wade, to protecting such voting rights. And while she follows a trail blazed by three other Black women, she noted sensing a moment for the next generation.
"I have a message to the young people who are standing up, speaking up and giving your all for your country and the world," she said. "I see you. I'm grateful to you. And you got next."
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