Transgender Marine Corps Veteran Sarah Klimm Launches Historic Congressional Bid in Pennsylvania

Sarah Klimm, a retired U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant and longtime advocate for veterans’ rights, is seeking to make history as the first openly transgender person to represent Pennsylvania in the U.S. House of Representatives. Klimm’s campaign, launched in September 2025, is positioned at the intersection of service, advocacy, and representation, as she vies for Pennsylvania’s 11th Congressional District seat.

Raised in southern York County, Pennsylvania, Sarah Klimm enlisted in the Marine Corps at age 17. Over a distinguished 23-year career, she completed seven combat deployments in Somalia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Klimm specialized in aviation maintenance and logistics, leading multi-million-dollar aircraft readiness programs and diverse teams in high-pressure environments. Her leadership extended to a prestigious post with the Presidential Helicopter Squadron, where she oversaw critical operations requiring exacting standards.

Klimm became known for her crisis management skills and her commitment to building inclusive teams where “everyone knew their voice mattered.” Her record earned her the trust of Marines at every level and set a foundation for her post-military work in public policy and advocacy.

After retiring from active duty, Klimm shifted her focus to advocacy, working directly with lawmakers, nonprofits, and government agencies to address critical issues facing veterans and military families. Her efforts have contributed to legislation expanding healthcare access, strengthening mental health support, and protecting vulnerable veterans. Klimm’s advocacy has emphasized dignity and fairness, principles she now brings to her Congressional platform.

Reflecting on her campaign, Klimm states, “They want us to get stuck on pronouns. I want to get stuck on bringing grocery prices down”. This approach highlights her focus on practical concerns—such as inflation, jobs, and healthcare—over culture war distractions. She positions herself as a “problem solver” and “servant leader,” promising to prioritize the needs of working-class Pennsylvanians and marginalized communities.

Klimm’s candidacy is significant in the context of LGBTQ+ representation in government. If elected, she would join a small but growing number of openly transgender lawmakers in the United States Congress, building on recent breakthroughs in state legislatures and local offices across the country. Her campaign is closely watched by LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations, who see her run as both a symbol of progress and a critical opportunity to advance equality at the federal level.

Klimm’s visibility as a transgender woman and Marine veteran challenges stereotypes while offering a lived perspective on the intersection of military service, rural life, and LGBTQ+ identity. “Her leadership in this space reflects a deep belief in service over self, and in the responsibility to leave every system better than she found it,” states her campaign biography.

Running in Pennsylvania’s 11th District—a region that includes both rural and urban constituencies—Klimm faces a challenging political landscape. The district has historically leaned conservative, but Klimm’s campaign is banking on her record of public service and her practical, bipartisan approach to resonate with voters frustrated by gridlock and polarization.

Klimm has made outreach to veterans, working families, and marginalized groups a central part of her campaign. She emphasizes that her identity as a transgender woman is only one part of her story, and insists on being judged by her leadership, values, and commitment to her community.

Klimm’s platform centers on economic relief for working families, affordable healthcare, support for veterans, and protections for marginalized groups. She has pledged to fight for:

- Lowering grocery and living costs
- Expanding healthcare and mental health services
- Protecting veterans’ benefits and dignity
- Advancing equality for all, regardless of gender identity or background.

Her campaign underscores the importance of “bringing competence, courage, and common sense back to Washington,” vowing to “fix what’s broken” through practical leadership and coalition-building.

LGBTQ+ organizations and political observers note that Klimm’s campaign comes at a time when transgender Americans face increasing legislative attacks and social hostility nationwide. Her candidacy is viewed as a powerful counter-narrative, demonstrating resilience, leadership, and the potential for progress in American politics.

Local and national LGBTQ+ groups have expressed support for Klimm’s run, citing her service record and advocacy as a model for inclusive representation. Advocates stress that visibility and participation in public life remain essential to achieving equality and combating discrimination.

As the 2026 election cycle accelerates, Sarah Klimm’s campaign will test whether lived experience, principled leadership, and a pragmatic approach to problem-solving can bridge divides in a polarized district—and whether a transgender veteran can break new ground for LGBTQ+ representation in Congress. Her run is watched closely not just in Pennsylvania, but across the country, as a measure of progress in the ongoing fight for equality and inclusion in American democracy.