By Joseph Edelen

DOVER — Longtime Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester will become the First State’s newest member of the U.S. Senate following Tuesday’s general election.

The Associated Press called the race just after 8 p.m. when polls closed.

As of 9:30 p.m., the Department of Elections website showed Rep. Blunt Rochester had 57 percent of the vote with 62 percent of precincts reporting.

Her challengers were Republican Eric Hansen and independent Dr. Michael Katz.

The election of Rep. Blunt Rochester to the Senate is historic, as she will become the third Black woman elected to the upper chamber and the fourth to serve in the body.

She joins former Sen. Carol Moseley Braun of Illinois and current Vice President Kamala Harris of California, as well as current Sen. Laphonza Butler of California, who was gubernatorially appointed to her post following the death of longtime Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

The Senate also added its fifth Black woman in 2024, following a race in Maryland. Current Prince Georges County Executive Angela Alsobrooks — a Democrat — defeated former Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, according to the Associated Press.

With her election, Rep. Blunt Rochester will fill the vacating seat of Sen. Tom Carper, who announced his retirement in May 2023 and subsequently endorsed his longtime mentee.

Sen. Carper has been a central component of Delaware politics for over four decades, previously serving in the U.S. House of Representatives, where Rep. Blunt Rochester got her start as an intern for him.

When then-Rep. Carper left the post after being elected Delaware’s governor in 1992, the eventual congresswoman would serve under that administration, as deputy secretary of the Department of Health and Social Services and secretary of the Department of Labor.

When Sen. Carper announced his retirement on the Wilmington Riverfront last year, he recommended Rep. Blunt Rochester as a successor before formally endorsing her nearly a month later.

“We love Lisa, and I spoke with her this morning. I said, ‘You’ve been patiently waiting for me to get out of the way, and I’m gonna get out of the way. I hope you run, and I hope you’ll let me support you in that mission,’” Sen. Carper said at the time. “And she said, ‘Yes, I will let you support me.’”

On Tuesday, the congresswoman visited several polling places throughout the state before attending the Delaware Democratic watch party at the Chase Center on the Riverfront in Wilmington, as the polls closed.

At Red Lion Church in Bear, the Daily State News spoke with her about the election and how she was feeling ahead of the results.

“My mood is excited and hopeful. … A lot of people are happy. Election Day is here. They’re looking forward to starting fresh, and I’m glad to see so many people in line,” she said.

Rep. Blunt Rochester also encouraged voters to cast their ballots, stating that she hoped everyone exercised that right for the sake of democracy.

“The choices are very clear in this election. If you are someone who is interested in reproductive freedom, clean drinking water, clean air and a planet to live on; an opportunity economy where all of us can be lifted with affordable housing, access to child care, growth of our small-business sector,” she said, “then you want to vote for Lisa Blunt Rochester, you want to vote for Kamala Harris, you want to vote for incredible Democrats up and down the ticket here in Delaware.”

Currently in the U.S. Senate, Democrats hold a 51-49 majority over Republicans. However, there are several contested races that could impact that distribution, including in Arizona, Nevada, Michigan and Pennsylvania.