Sarah McBride wins Delaware - becomes 1st transgender US state senator

Sarah McBride, a prominent American advocate for LGBTQ rights, has become the first and only openly transgender state senator in the US after winning the race in Delaware.

With the win on Tuesday night, the 30-year-old Democrat has also become the country's highest-ranking transgender official.

Taking to Twitter, McBride wrote: "We did it. We won the general election. Thank you, thank you, thank you."

She will now represent Delaware's 1st Senate District after defeating Republican Steve Washington, NBC News reported.

McBride was endorsed by incumbent Democrat Harris McDowell, who did not seek a re-election after 44 years.

McBride had interned with the administration of former President Barack Obama, becoming the first transgender woman to work in the White House, according to her campaign announcement.

In 2016, she hit another milestone by becoming the first transgender person to address the Democratic convention in Philadelphia.

According to the LGBTQ Victory Fund, there are currently four transgender people in state legislatures, including Danica Roem, who won a seat in the Virginia House in 2017.