Lisa Blunt Rochester

Lisa LaTrelle Blunt Rochester (née Blunt; born February 10, 1962) is an American politician serving since 2025 as the junior United States senator from Delaware. From 2017 to 2025, she served as the U.S. representative for . A member of the Democratic Party, she is the first woman and first African American to represent Delaware in both chambers of Congress.

Blunt Rochester began her political career working for Tom Carper, first in the House of Representatives, and later as he became governor of Delaware. She was appointed deputy secretary of the Department of Health and Social Services in 1993 and secretary of the Department of Labor in 1998. Blunt Rochester was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2016. During the 2020 presidential election, she was one of Joe Biden's campaign co-chairs.

In 2023, Blunt Rochester announced her candidacy to represent Delaware in the United States Senate in the 2024 election and succeed the retiring Carper, who endorsed her in the race. She won the Democratic primary unopposed and defeated Republican nominee Eric Hansen by a landslide in the general election.

Early life and education

Blunt Rochester was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on February 10, 1962. Her family moved to Wilmington, Delaware, in 1969. Her father, Ted Blunt, was an educator who served on the Wilmington City Council, including as council president. Her mother, Alice LaTrelle, worked in retail. Her sister Marla Blunt Carter is a professor at Rutgers University.

Blunt Rochester attended Padua Academy, began college at Villanova University and transferred to the University of Delaware in her sophomore year. She left college to live in Europe, and later received her bachelor's degree in international relations from Fairleigh Dickinson University and her master's degree in urban affairs and public policy from the University of Delaware.

Early political career

Blunt Rochester worked for Tom Carper as an intern in 1989, when he represented in the United States House of Representatives. After the internship, she continued to work for Carper as a constituent relations caseworker, and worked on his transition team when he was elected governor of Delaware. Carper appointed her deputy secretary of the Department of Health and Social Services in 1993 and secretary of the Department of Labor in 1998. Governor Ruth Ann Minner named Blunt Rochester the state personnel director in 2001.

In 2004, Blunt Rochester left government service and became the CEO of the Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League.

U.S. House of Representatives

Elections

Blunt Rochester ran for the United States House of Representatives in in the 2016 election. She won the Democratic Party nomination on September 13 with 44% of the vote in a five-candidate primary, defeating State Senator Bryan Townsend and venture capital firm owner Sean Barney. In the November 8 general election, she defeated the Republican nominee, Wyoming Mayor Hans Reigle. When she was sworn into office on January 3, 2017, she became the first woman and the first African-American to represent Delaware in Congress. During her swearing-in, she carried a scarf imprinted with her great-great-great-grandfather's Reconstruction Era voter registration card. He had been a slave.

Tenure

On December 18, 2019, Blunt Rochester voted for both articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump.

During the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol, Blunt Rochester was ushered into a secure room with fellow members of Congress. Despite House rules on mask mandates, many Republican members, including Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, abstained from wearing a mask. A clip went viral of Blunt Rochester offering masks to her Republican colleagues, in which they seemingly mocked and refused her offer. In the following days, multiple members tested positive for COVID-19.

Blunt Rochester voted to impeach Trump a second time on January 13, 2021.

As of 2022, Blunt Rochester had voted with President Joe Biden's stated position 100% of the time, according to '' FiveThirtyEight''.

Blunt Rochester's record on Israel is mixed. She voted to provide Israel with support following the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, but voted against providing further aid in November 2023 and in February 2024. She voted to provide aid in April 2024. In September 2024, she voted against an anti-BDS bill.

2020 presidential election

Blunt Rochester played an active role in the 2020 presidential election. After Biden became the presumptive Democratic nominee in March 2020, his campaign named her one of its co-chairs. At the end of April, Blunt Rochester was named a member of the vetting committee for Biden's vice presidential candidate selection.

Rochester was a 2020 Democratic National Convention speaker.

Committee assignments

For the 118th Congress:
* Committee on Energy and Commerce
** Subcommittee on Energy, Climate, and Grid Security
** Subcommittee on Health
** Subcommittee on Innovation, Data, and Commerce

Caucus memberships

* Congressional Black Caucus
* Congressional Progressive Caucus
* Future of Work Caucus (founder/co-chair)
* New Democrat Coalition
* Rare Disease Caucus
* Congressional Coalition on Adoption

U.S. Senate

Elections

2024

On June 21, 2023, Blunt Rochester announced her candidacy for the United States Senate in the 2024 election to succeed Tom Carper. Carper endorsed Blunt Rochester as his successor at his press conference announcing his retirement. She was widely considered the heavy favorite to win both the Democratic primary and the general election. Blunt Rochester won the election with 283,298 votes (57%) to Republican Eric Hansen's 197,753 (40%).

Committee assignments

Source:

* Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
** Subcommittee on Economic Policy
** Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development
** Subcommittee on Securities, Insurance, and Investment
* Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
* Committee on Environment and Public Works
** Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure
** Subcommittee on Clean Air, Climate, and Nuclear Innovation and Safety
** Subcommittee on Chemical Safety, Waste Management, Environmental Justice and Regulatory Oversight
* Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
** Subcommittee on Education and the American Family (Ranking Member)
** Subcommittee on Primary Health and Retirement Security

Personal life

Blunt Rochester was married to her first husband, professional basketball player Alex Bradley, from 1982 to 2003. They met at Villanova University and lived in Italy and France while he played basketball professionally. They have two children together. The marriage ended with an amicable divorce in 2003.

She met her second husband, Charles Rochester, later in 2003. They married in 2006. Charles died in 2014 when his Achilles tendon ruptured, causing blood clots to go to his heart and lungs.

Blunt Rochester identifies as a Protestant.

While living in China, Blunt Rochester co-authored the book ''Thrive: 34 Women, 18 Countries, One Goal''.

Electoral history

Book

*

See also

* List of African-American United States representatives
* Women in the United States House of Representatives
* List of African-American United States senators
* Women in the United States Senate
* List of African-American United States Senate candidates
* List of new members of the 119th United States Congress

References

External links

Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester
official U.S. Senate website

Campaign website

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Blunt Rochester, Lisa
1962 births
Living people
21st-century African-American politicians
21st-century American women politicians
21st-century members of the United States House of Representatives
21st-century United States senators
African-American Christians
African-American members of the United States House of Representatives
African-American people in Delaware politics
African-American state cabinet secretaries
African-American United States senators
African-American candidates for the United States Senate
American expatriates in China
American Protestants
Christians from Delaware
Delaware Democrats
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Delaware
Democratic Party United States senators from Delaware
Fairleigh Dickinson University alumni
Female members of the United States House of Representatives
Female United States senators
Joe Biden 2020 presidential campaign
People associated with the 2020 United States presidential election
Politicians from Wilmington, Delaware
Protestants from Delaware
State cabinet secretaries of Delaware
University of Delaware alumni
Women in Delaware politics