Sarah McBride has become America’s first out trans state senator, having won Delaware’s 1st State Senate district.

McBride, who was expected to win the safe seat previously occupied by now-retired incumbent Harris B. McDowell III, is a close friend of Joe and Dr. Jill Biden, and has now become America’s highest ranking out trans legislator. McBride told The Daily Beast in September, “I hope this campaign can send a small but important message to a young kid just trying to find their place in the world—that our democracy is big enough for them, that their voices matter, and that they can live authentically. I know how much of a difference that message would have made to someone like me growing up.”

“Tonight, Sarah made history not just for herself but for our entire community. She gives a voice to the marginalized as a representative and an advocate,” said Alphonso David, president of the Human Rights Campaign. “This victory, the first of what I expect to be many in her career, shows that any person can achieve their dream, no matter their gender identity or sexual orientation. Though we will miss having her as an employee at the Human Rights Campaign, Sarah will undoubtedly represent the First District well and we look forward to seeing what she accomplishes.”

McBride, a longtime LGBTQ campaigner and national press officer with the Human Rights Campaign, told The Daily Beast in September, “I’m not running to be ‘the transgender state senator.’ I’m running to be a state senator who was born and raised in this district, a state senator who is a caregiver, a state senator who is working every single day to ensure more Delawareans get the health care they need and are supported in the challenges and crises they face with meaningful policies.”