Lisa Blunt Rochester | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2025 | |
| United States Senator fromDelaware | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2025 Serving with Chris Coons | |
| Preceded by | Tom Carper |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromDelaware'sat-large district | |
| In office January 3, 2017 – January 3, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | John Carney |
| Succeeded by | Sarah McBride |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Lisa LaTrelle Blunt (1962-02-10)February 10, 1962 (age 63) Philadelphia,Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Ted Blunt (father) |
| Education | Villanova University Fairleigh Dickinson University (BA) University of Delaware (MA) |
| Signature |  |
| Website | Senate website Campaign website |
Lisa LaTrelle Blunt Rochester (néeBlunt;[1] born February 10, 1962) is an American politician serving since 2025 as thejuniorUnited States senator fromDelaware. From 2017 to 2025, she served as theU.S. representative forDelaware's at-large congressional district. A member of theDemocratic Party, she is the first woman and firstAfrican American to represent Delaware in both chambers of Congress.[2][3]
Blunt Rochester began her political career working forTom Carper, first in the House of Representatives, and later as he becamegovernor of Delaware. She was appointed deputy secretary of Delaware's 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 the2020 presidential election, she was one ofJoe Biden's campaign co-chairs.
In 2023, Blunt Rochester announced her candidacy to represent Delaware in theUnited States Senate in the2024 election and succeed the retiring Carper, who endorsed her in the race.[4][5] She won the Democratic primary unopposed and defeated Republican nominee Eric Hansen by a landslide in the general election.
Blunt Rochester was born inPhiladelphia,Pennsylvania, on February 10, 1962.[6] Her family moved toWilmington, Delaware, in 1969.[7] Her father,Ted Blunt, was an educator who served on the WilmingtonCity Council, including as council president.[8] Her mother, Alice LaTrelle, worked in retail. Her sister Marla Blunt Carter is a professor atRutgers University.[2]
Blunt Rochester attendedPadua Academy, began college atVillanova University and transferred to theUniversity of Delaware in her sophomore year.[2] She left college to live in Europe, and later received herBachelor of Arts ininternational relations fromFairleigh Dickinson University and herMaster of Arts in urban affairs andpublic policy from the University of Delaware.[7][2]
Blunt Rochester worked forTom Carper as anintern in 1989, when he representedDelaware's at-large congressional district in theUnited 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 electedgovernor of Delaware.[2][9][10] Carper appointed her deputy secretary of the Department of Health and Social Services in 1993 and secretary of the Department of Labor in 1998. GovernorRuth Ann Minner named Blunt Rochester the state personnel director in 2001.[2]
In 2004, Blunt Rochester left government service and became the CEO of the Metropolitan WilmingtonUrban League.[2][7]
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Blunt Rochester ran for theUnited States House of Representatives inDelaware's at-large congressional district in the2016 election.[11] She won theDemocratic Party nomination on September 13 with 44% of the vote in a five-candidate primary, defeating State SenatorBryan Townsend and venture capital firm owner Sean Barney.[12] In the November 8 general election, she defeated theRepublican nominee,Wyoming Mayor Hans Reigle.[13] When she was sworn into office on January 3, 2017, she became the first woman and the firstAfrican-American to represent Delaware in Congress.[13] During her swearing-in, she carried a scarf imprinted with her great-great-great-grandfather'sReconstruction Eravoter registration card. He had been aslave.[10]
On December 18, 2019, Blunt Rochester voted forboth articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump.[14]
During the2021 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, includingMarjorie 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 forCOVID-19.[15]
Blunt Rochester voted toimpeach Trump a second time on January 13, 2021.[16]
As of 2022, Blunt Rochester had voted with PresidentJoe Biden's stated position 100% of the time, according toFiveThirtyEight.[17]
Blunt Rochester's record on Israel is mixed. She voted to provide Israel with support following the2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel,[18][19] but voted against providing further aid in November 2023 and in February 2024.[20][21] She voted to provide aid in April 2024.[22] In September 2024, she voted against ananti-BDS bill.[23]
Blunt Rochester played an active role in the2020 presidential election. After Biden became the presumptive Democratic nominee in March 2020, hiscampaign named her one of its co-chairs.[24] At the end of April, Blunt Rochester was named a member of the vetting committee for Biden'svice presidential candidate selection.[25]
Rochester was a2020 Democratic National Convention speaker.[26]
For the118th Congress:[27]
On June 21, 2023, Blunt Rochester announced her candidacy for theUnited States Senate in the2024 election to succeedTom Carper.[35] Carper endorsed Blunt Rochester as his successor at his press conference announcing his retirement.[5] She was widely considered the heavy favorite to win both the Democratic primary and the general election.[36][37] Blunt Rochester won the election with 57% of the vote to Republican nominee Eric Hansen's 40%.[38]
Source:[39]
Blunt Rochester was married to her first husband, professional basketball playerAlex Bradley, from 1982 to 2003. They met atVillanova University and lived in Italy and France while he played basketball professionally. They have two children together.[2] The marriage ended with an amicable divorce in 2003.[40]
She met her second husband, Charles Rochester, later in 2003. They married in 2006.[2] Charles died in 2014[1][10][8][41] when hisAchilles tendon ruptured, causing blood clots to go to his heart and lungs.
Blunt Rochester is aProtestant.[42]
While living in China, Blunt Rochester co-authored the bookThrive: 34 Women, 18 Countries, One Goal.[43][44]
| Primary election | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
| Democratic | Lisa Blunt Rochester | 27,920 | 43.77% | ||
| Democratic | Bryan Townsend | 15,847 | 24.84% | ||
| Democratic | Sean Barney | 12,891 | 20.21% | ||
| Democratic | Michael C. Miller, Sr. | 3,500 | 5.49% | ||
| Democratic | Scott Walker | 3,156 | 4.94% | ||
| Democratic | Elias J. Weir | 480 | 0.75% | ||
| Total votes | 63,794 | 100.00% | |||
| General election | |||||
| Democratic | Lisa Blunt Rochester | 233,554 | 55.53% | ||
| Republican | Hans Reigle | 172,301 | 40.96% | ||
| Green | Mark J. Perri | 8,326 | 1.98% | ||
| Libertarian | Scott A. Gesty | 6,436 | 1.53% | ||
| Total votes | 420,617 | 100.00% | |||
| Democratichold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Lisa Blunt Rochester | 227,353 | 64.45% | ||
| Republican | Scott Walker | 125,384 | 35.55% | ||
| Total votes | 352,737 | 100.00% | |||
| Democratichold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Lisa Blunt Rochester | 281,382 | 57.63% | ||
| Republican | Lee Murphy | 196,392 | 40.22% | ||
| Independent Party | Catherine S. Purcell | 6,682 | 1.37% | ||
| Libertarian | David L. Rodgers | 3,814 | 0.78% | ||
| Total votes | 488,270 | 100.00% | |||
| Democratichold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Lisa Blunt Rochester | 178,416 | 55.47% | ||
| Republican | Lee Murphy | 138,201 | 42.97% | ||
| Libertarian | Cody McNutt | 3,074 | 0.96% | ||
| Independent | David Rogers | 1,958 | 0.61% | ||
| Total votes | 321,649 | 100.00% | |||
| Democratichold | |||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Lisa Blunt Rochester | 283,298 | 56.59% | ||
| Republican | Eric Hansen | 197,753 | 39.50% | ||
| Independent Party | Michael Katz | 19,555 | 3.91% | ||
| Total votes | 500,606 | 100.00% | |||
| Democratichold | |||||
For my swearing-in, I carried this with me. Part of this was to remember how far we've come, that a former slave's great-great-granddaughter is now a congresswoman.
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| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromDelaware's at-large congressional district 2017–2025 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forU.S. Senator fromDelaware (Class 1) 2024 | Most recent |
| U.S. Senate | ||
| Preceded by | U.S. Senator (Class 1) from Delaware 2025–present Served alongside:Chris Coons | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | Order of precedence of the United States as United States Senator | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | United States senators by seniority 91st | Succeeded by |
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