David McBride

In 1976, McBride ran for a seat on the Conrad Area School district school board and defeated Charles E. Ballard for the seat with 1,131 votes to Ballard's 91 votes.[8][9] He was selected to serve as vice-president of the Conrad school board in 1977.[10]

In 1978, McBride announced that he would seek the Democratic nomination for a seat in the Delaware House of Representatives from the 15th district against incumbent Representative Robert L. Byrd.[11] McBride defeated Byrd in the Democratic primary and won in the general election.[12][13]

McBride was appointed to serve on the Community Affairs committee and as chairman of the Education committee in the Delaware House of Representatives in 1979.[14][15]

The 13th district in the Delaware Senate from 2011 to 2021

In 1980, Francis J. Kearns, a member of the Delaware Senate, announced that he would not seek reelection.[16] McBride received the Democratic nomination to run in the 13th district and faced no opposition in the general election.[17] He was reelected in 1982, 1986, 1990, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2012, and 2016.[18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28]

In 2020, he was defeated in the Democratic primary by Marie Pinkney.[29]

McBride was appointed to serve as chairman of the Education committee in the Delaware Senate in 1981.[30] In 1991, he was appointed to serve on the Education, Health and Social Service/Aging, Revenue and Taxation, Labor and Industrial Relations, and Finance committees.[31]

In 1985, Southern Delaware Home Health Care Agency Incorporated, a home health care business owned by David and his wife, Mary McBride, was investigated by the United States Department of Justice for allegedly over billing patients.[32] The McBrides closed their business shortly after the investigation was launched.[33] Eleven employees of the McBride's business later filed a lawsuit for $8,681.55 in unpaid wages, benefits, and wage supplements.[34] By 1986, the business still owned the federal government around $80,000.[6]

From 2013 to 2017, he served as Majority Leader of the Delaware Senate.[35] In 2016, he was nominated to serve as President Pro Tempore of the Delaware Senate after President Pro Tempore Patricia Blevins was defeated by a Republican in the 2016 general election.[36]

On April 3, 1984, McBride announced that he would seek the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor and filed to run on May 22.[37][38] McBride selected Robert P. Hopkins, who had unsuccessfully sought election to the Delaware House of Representatives, to serve as his campaign manager.[39] During the campaign he was endorsed by Millsboro Commissioner James Smith, Elsmere Mayor John Mitchell, and Kent County Levy Court Commissioner Louis J. Giusto.[40] McBride was endorsed by Representative Al O. Plant, but Plant later endorsed S. B. Woo.[41] In the Democratic primary he placed last in third place behind Nancy Cook and Woo.[42] During the campaign McBride has spent $38,793 and held unpaid debt due to his campaign until 1991.[43]