 This week on At Our Table, I sat down with Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester. Yes, she made history as the first woman AND the first African American to represent Delaware in both chambers of Congress. But she was quick to define herself by something else.
When I asked what it feels like to carry the weight of being a “first,” she didn’t dwell there.
And the mission, in her words, is concrete: housing affordability, health care access, workforce shortages, maternal mortality. Then she took us somewhere unexpected: Ballet.
That wasn’t poetic flourish. It was a warning.
We’re living in a moment when people are waiting for a hero. A single voice. A bold speech. A viral clip. However, she’s arguing that democracy only works when everyone plays their part. You don’t have to run for office, but you do have to show up. When the conversation moved to personal matters she opened up and took us to some raw places. She spoke about losing her husband unexpectedly and about losing her father during her Senate run.
That’s when service stops being ambition and starts being obligation. And underneath it all was something we don’t hear enough in politics.
When she talks about housing, she frames it this way: when you love someone, you don’t want to see them unhoused. When you love your community, you don’t want people wondering where their next paycheck is coming from. That’s her through line. And maybe that’s the lesson for 2026: service isn’t about ambition. It’s about obligation. About deciding there’s nothing to lose and everything to give. Pull up a chair. —Jaime You’re currently a free subscriber to Jaime’s Table. For the full experience, upgrade your subscription.
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Tuesday, March 3, 2026
Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester | “Democracy Is a Team Sport” — Inside the Fight for 2026
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