Release: National Education Association Endorses Sarah McBride for Congress
Wilmington, DE — Today, the National Education Association, who represent the Delaware State Education Association federally, announced their endorsement of Sarah McBride for Delaware’s open Congressional seat. The Delaware State Education Association represents over 12,000 classroom teachers, specialists, and education support professionals working in Delaware public schools.
National Education Association President Becky Pringle announced the support in a statement, “Over her career, Sarah McBride has been a proven champion for Delaware’s students and working families. In a time when some extreme politicians are focused on banning books and taking away learning opportunities for students, McBride has partnered with parents and educators to strengthen Delaware’s public schools and work to ensure students can get the one-on-one support they need, expand school-based mental health programs, keep students and educators safe from gun violence, and address educator shortages. She will bring her much needed perspective to the U.S. House, using her voice to ensure that every student – no matter their race, place, or background – has access to quality public schools. The National Education Association is proud to recommend Sarah McBride for U.S. House.”
In response to the announcement, Senator Sarah McBride said, “I am honored to receive the endorsement of the National Education Association in my race to be Delaware’s next member of Congress. In the Delaware General Assembly, I’ve been proud to work alongside DSEA to deliver for our students and educators, including expanded access to child care, a raise in educator pay, and historic investments in our highest-need schools. In Congress, we’ll do the same. Together, we can ensure that every student has access to a strong public education and that educators and school staff are supported and respected.
“I always joke that my office in Congress is going to feel like a union hall, but it’s actually a promise, not a joke. I couldn’t be more thrilled to add NEA and DSEA to our coalition of supporters.”
Since launching her campaign a year ago, McBride has built a campaign that has made her the frontrunner for the seat by earning a wide coalition of endorsements, beating fundraising records, and leading a grassroots organizing operation that has reached thousands of Delaware voters. McBride has been endorsed by more than twenty Delaware unions, eight Delaware statewide elected officials, dozens of her colleagues in the General Assembly and counting, community organizers, and national advocacy organizations. She has also been endorsed by Democratic leadership in the U.S. House, as well as caucuses representing nearly every Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives, including both the Congressional Progressive Caucus and the moderate NewDems Coalition caucus.
Leaders and organizations that have announced their support of Senator McBride include:
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries
House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark
House Democratic Chair Pete Aguilar
Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi
U.S. Senator Tom Carper
U.S. Senator John Fetterman
Former U.S. Senator Ted Kaufman
Governor John Carney
Attorney General Kathy Jennings
Treasurer Colleen Davis
Insurance Commissioner Trinidad Navarro
State Auditor Lydia York
Former Lt. Governor & Attorney General Matt Denn
Former State Auditor & New Castle County Executive Dennis Greenhouse
Senate President Pro Tempore Senator Dave Sokola
Senate Majority Leader Senator Bryan Townsend
Senate Majority Whip Senator Elizabeth Lockman
Sen. Laura Sturgeon (SD-04)
Sen. Kyle Evans Gay (SD-05)
Sen. Russ Huxtable (SD-06)
Sen. Spiros Mantzavinos (SD-07)
Sen. Jack Walsh (SD-09)
Sen. Stephanie Hansen (SD-10)
Sen. Nicole Poore (SD-12)
Sen. Marie Pinkney (SD-13)
Sen. Kyra Hoffner (SD-14)
Sen. Trey Paradee (SD-17)
Fmr. State Senator Margaret Rose Henry (SD-02)
Speaker of the House Val Longhurst
Rep. Nnamdi Chukwuocha (HD-01)
Rep. Kendra Johnson (HD-05)
Rep. Debra Heffernan (HD-06)
Rep. Krista Griffith (HD-12)
Rep. DeShanna Neal (HD-13)
Rep. Sophie Phillips (HD-18)
Rep. Kim Williams (HD-19)
Rep. Stell Parker Selby (HD-20)
Rep. Paul Baumbach (HD-23)
Rep. Ed Osienski (HD-24)
Rep. Cyndie Romer (HD-25)
Rep. Bill Carson (HD-28)
Mayor Mike Purzycki, Wilmington
House Majority Leader Valarie Windle Leary, New Castle
Wilmington City Council President Trippi Congo
Wilmington City Council Member Zanthia Oliver (District 3)
Wilmington City Council Member Bregetta Fields (District 5)
Wilmington City Council Member Chris Johnson (District 7)
Wilmington City Council Member Nathan Field (District 8)
Wilmington City Council Member Maria Cabrera (At-Large)
Former Newark Mayor Polly Sierer
Y.F. Lou, Christina School Board Member
Maria Matos, Nonprofit Leader & Community Advocate
Dr. Terri Hodges, Education & Civil Rights Advocate
Delaware State AFL-CIO
Delaware Building and Construction Trades
AFSCME & AFSCME Council 81
Teamsters Local 326
Delaware State Association of Letter Carriers
UFCW Local 27
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 313
United Association Plumbers and Steamfitters of the United States and Canada Local Union 74
Delaware Laborers Local 199
International Union of Elevator Constructors Local 5 & Local 7
UA Sprinkler Fitters Local 669
International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Local 1
International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Ironworkers Local 451
Millwright and Machinery Erectors Local 219
Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters Local 255
Piledrivers & Divers Local #474
IUPAT District Council 21
Boilermakers Local 13
Cement Masons Local 592
Sheet Metal Workers Local 19
United Telephone Workers of Delaware/CWA Local 13101
Heat & Frost Insulators Local 42
Roofers Local 30
International Union of Operating Engineers Local 542
Amalgamated Transit Union
Association of Flight Attendants
Planned Parenthood Action Fund
Reproductive Freedom for All
EMILY's List
Delaware Stonewall PAC
Shore Democrats
End Citizens United / Let America Vote
Next50
National Women’s Political Caucus
National Organization for Women PAC
Elect Democratic Women
Defend the Vote
Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate
New Democrat Coalition Action Fund
Congressional Progressive Caucus
Our Revolution
Human Rights Campaign PAC
LPAC
LGBTQ+ Victory Fund
ABOUT SARAH MCBRIDE
Sarah McBride represents roughly 50,000 Delawareans in the First State Senate District, which includes parts of Wilmington and Brandywine Hundred. Sarah grew up in Wilmington and has been advocating for her community for decades. She worked for former Governor Jack Markell, the late Attorney General Beau Biden, and served in the Obama White House. Most recently, she served as the national spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBTQ equal rights organization.
When McBride was elected in November 2020, she became the first openly transgender state senator in American history. In just her first term, McBride passed the landmark Healthy Delaware Families Act, providing paid family and medical leave to workers throughout the First State and marking the largest expansion of Delaware's social safety net in decades. She also passed legislation expanding access to health care, requiring mental health and media literacy education in public schools, promoting green technologies, preventing lead poisoning in youth, and protecting workers and families.
McBride currently serves as chair of the Senate Health & Social Services Committee and is a member of the Senate’s Judiciary Committee, Education Committee, Banking, Business, Insurance, and Technology Committee, and Executive Committee.
Sarah married her late husband Andrew Cray in 2014 and is the proud aunt of seven. She is a graduate of Cab Calloway School of the Arts and American University. McBride has taught public policy at the University of Delaware and is the author of the 2018 memoir, “Tomorrow Will Be Different,” which includes a foreword from President Joe Biden.
###
