Lisa Blunt Rochester

Lisa LaTrelle Blunt Rochester (née Blunt; born February 10, 1962) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for DE's at-large congressional district since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, she is the first woman and first African American to represent Delaware in Congress.

Blunt Rochester has announced her candidacy to represent Delaware in the United States Senate in the 2024 election. If elected, she would be the first woman and person of color to represent Delaware in the Senate.

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 later 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 DE's at-large congressional district 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.

Elections


Blunt Rochester ran for the United States House of Representatives in DE's at-large congressional district in the 2016 election. She won the Democratic Party nomination on September 13 by winning 44% in 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, multiple 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 has voted with President Joe Biden's stated position 100% of the time, according to FiveThirtyEight.

Blunt Rochester 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.

2020 presidential election
Blunt Rochester played an active role in the 2020 presidential election. After Joe 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
 * Congressional Coalition on Adoption

United States Senate election
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 is widely considered the heavy favorite to win both the Democratic primary and the general election.

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 Europe while he played basketball professionally. They have two children together. She met her second husband, Charles, later in 2003. They married in 2006. Charles died in 2014. He ruptured his Achilles tendon which caused blood clots to go to his heart and lungs.

Blunt Rochester identifies as a Protestant.

While living abroad in China with her then-husband, Blunt Rochester co-authored the book Thrive: 34 Women, 18 Countries, One Goal.