Last night, Jared Polis was elected Governor of Colorado, becoming the first openly-gay person to be elected governor in the United States. The Center is proud to serve our community in a state that values equality and has a long history of LGBTQ activism.
We are humbled by the historic nature of this accomplishment and we celebrate the message of inclusivity that the people of Colorado sent to the rest of the nation. The voters in Colorado made a strong statement that it doesn’t matter who you love, it just matters what you stand for.
Our communities are better when our elected officials represent all of us, not just some of us. The more diversity we have in our elected officials, the better they can represent everyone in our diverse communities.
The 2018 midterm elections saw a record-number of openly LGBTQ candidates elected to office, a key achievement in what pundits are dubbing the “Rainbow Wave.” Here’s an overview on all the important LGBTQ news from election night:
- Jared Polis from Colorado becomes the first openly-gay person to be elected governor in the U.S.
- Sharice Davids becomes the first Native American woman and LGBTQ person to represent Kansas in Congress
- Massachusetts votes ‘Yes’ on Question 3, upholding protections for transgender people in public accommodations
- Senator Tammy Baldwin, an out lesbian, is re-elected in Wisconsin
- Governor Kate Brown, who identifies as bisexual, is re-elected in Oregon
- Angie Craig becomes Minnesota’s first openly-lesbian member of Congress
- Chris Pappas becomes New Hampshire’s first openly-gay member of Congress
- Susan Ruiz and Brandon Woodard become the first openly LGBTQ people elected to the Kansas State Legislature
- Gerri Cannon and Lisa Bunker, two transgender women, were elected to the New Hampshire House of Representatives
- Malcolm Kenyatta becomes the first openly-gay African American man elected to the Pennsylvania legislature
- Teri Johnson is elected mayor of Key West and becomes Florida’s first openly-lesbian mayor in the state’s history
- Though Christine Hallquist was not victorious last night in Vermont, she made history running as the first transgender person to be nominated for a governorship by a major party
- Kim Davis, the Kentucky clerk who refused to sign marriage certificates for same-sex couples, lost her bid for re-election to the county clerkship