Black Women in Politics: Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester Poised to Make History in Delaware Senate Election – Bottom Line

Lisa Blunt Rochester is no stranger to making history. Eight years ago she became the first Black person and first woman elected to Congress from Delaware, as reported on the 19th. Now she’s ready to do it again in her campaign to become the first black woman to represent Delaware in the Senate.

The wind is at Blunt Rochester’s back, and current polls showing she leads her Republican opponent by 20 points in a state that consistently elects Democrats in the Senate since 2000. Blunt Rochester also received key endorsements from President Joe Biden and the current incumbent, Sen. Tom Carper, for whom she served as a voter relations specialist and is retiring.

But as a black woman with the burden of history on her shoulders, she takes nothing for granted. In an interview On the 19th, she said, “As a black woman, I can still look at how much a donor gives me and how much they give to my white co-worker and see the difference. I’m still dealing with people’s expectations, and those are good expectations and bad expectations,” she continued. “I also think I have a certain level of responsibility. I’m worried about this pipeline. Maybe other people don’t necessarily think that way, but I think that’s the case.”

Only three black women served in the US Senate during its 235-year history. The first was Carol Moseley Brown, elected in 1992 to represent Illinois. The second was Vice President Kamala Harris, who was elected to represent California in 2016. The third is LaFonza Butler, who currently represents California and was appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom to complete the term of the late Senator Dianne Feinstein. Butler isn’t trying to keep his job.

If elected, Blunt Rochester and Prince George’s County, Maryland, Senate candidate Angela Alsobrooks would become the first black female senators to serve together. But while Blunt Rochester recognizes the historical significance of his campaign, that is not its goal. In an interview with ABCShe said, “I don’t really think about history that much because, you know, my intention is to make a difference and make an impact on people’s lives,” she added, “and whether there should be a historical moment. Wonderful “

Before deciding to run for Congress in 2016, Blunt Rochester was a recently widowed 54-year-old woman with no experience running for president. She said she could only afford to run because of the money she received from her late husband’s life. insurance policybut she overcame these difficulties and won a seat in the House of Representatives. In an interview with ABC, she explained how her unique background can serve as an inspiration to others and a road map to the problems she wants to solve:

“I think about the little girls, I think about those women who are widowed or over 50,” she said. “For me to be able to represent and bring that life experience, professional experience, political issues. “I mean, we know that Black women die from childbirth at higher rates than their white counterparts (and) have 43% more student loan debt than our white counterparts.”

Blunt Rochester also wants to address the concerns of all Delawareans, including protecting access to health care and the economy. In fact, she quotes both issues as her motivation for wanting to run for Congress. Despite the deep political polarization in the country, Blunt Rochester believes in working across all sides to get things done.

On Nov. 5, she could very well become Delaware’s first black woman senator, but she doesn’t want to be the last. “I feel a deep responsibility to bridge this gap and build a pipeline of communication with other women and underrepresented groups of people,” Blunt Rochester said on the 19th. “For me, it’s about providing tangible, meaningful support to the next generation of leaders because it’s not enough to be ‘first’, it’s important to give back.”