Blunt Rochester picks up EMILY’s List endorsement in Delaware Senate bid

Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) has received an endorsement from EMILY’s List, a group that backs female candidates who support abortion rights, in her run for Delaware’s Senate seat. 

The organization said in a Thursday release that Blunt Rochester has been a “champion for women and families for her entire career” and has a record of working to improve people’s lives, fight for those who are vulnerable and defend civil rights. 

“We have already seen that she has what it takes to stand up to extremism in the U.S. House — and EMILYs List has full faith in her ability to continue that work in the Senate,” group President Laphonza Butler said in the release. 

Blunt Rochester on Wednesday announced her run for the seat being vacated by the retiring Sen. Tom Carper (D), who announced last month he would not run for reelection. She addressed threats to abortion access and democracy during her first ad of the campaign. 

Carper endorsed her run for his seat shortly after her announcement. 

“After over two decades of pro-choice leadership in the Senate from the state of Delaware, it is critical that the next person we elect to serve in this role is a strong and dedicated protector of reproductive freedom,” Butler said. 

Blunt Rochester could be the first Black woman to serve in the Senate since Vice President Harris stepped down as senator from California in 2021. She would also be the first female senator representing Delaware.