VIRGINIA (DC News Now) — Virginia Del. Democrat Danica Roem (D-13) was elected to the state senate for District 30 on Tuesday, becoming the Commonwealth’s first openly transgender state senator.

“What this victory means for me is that I’m going to continue working to provide universal free school breakfast for all kids. It means I’m going to continue doing the work to fix Route 28[…] I’m going to continue protecting our land in Western Prince William County and I’m going to continue working to make Virginia a more inclusive commonwealth,” said the Senator-elect after results came in.

Roem, 39, beat her Republican opponent Bill Woolf by about 2,000 votes. Woolf, a former Fairfax County police officer, was endorsed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

Elected in 2017, Roem said her track record on infrastructure legislation and securing free meals for students are among her most prominent accomplishments in Richmond.

In 2020, Roem sponsored House Bill 5113, mandating that eligible schools apply for the Community Eligibility Provision, which secures school meal funding through the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service.

The bill led to Manassas and Manassas Park students receiving free school meals. Additionally, Roem said 40 of Prince William County’s schools now participate in the program.

“I’m willing to fight like hell for our values. Because when I see the most vulnerable people I represent, like trans kids being signaled out and stigmatized, especially by this governor, I stand up to him,” Roem said.