Ten candidates who made history on Tuesday night

Share

Tweet

Share

Share

Email

Comments

(The Hill) – Tuesday’s midterm results saw several historic championships across the country.

A record number of black candidates ran up and down the ballot and across party lines, strides were made in LGBTQ representation and gender barriers were broken down.

Here are 10 candidates who broke glass ceilings in their races this year.

Wes Moore

Army veteran and best-selling author Wes Moore (D) has been elected the first black governor of Maryland, becoming only the third black person to be elected governor of the state. He defeated conservative Dan Cox, who is supported by Donald Trump.

Moore rose to the top of his party’s primary polls back in July, when he defeated 10 other candidates. His campaign had the support of celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, and the Democratic Governors Association invested heavily in his campaign.

A former executive director of one of the nation’s largest anti-poverty organizations, Moore’s victory turns the governor’s mansion blue.

Moore will have Aruna Miller as his lieutenant governor. Born in India, Miller is the first Asian American and the first immigrant to be elected lieutenant governor of Maryland.

Maura Healey

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey (D) broke two barriers Tuesday night: She was elected the first female governor of Massachusetts and the first openly lesbian governor in the country.

Healey defeated former state Rep. Geoff Diehl (R), a Trump supporter, who repeated Trump’s false claims that the 2020 election was rigged.

Throughout the campaign, Healey maintained his lead over Diehl, who failed to secure the endorsement of outgoing Republican Governor Charlie Baker.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and the Human Rights Campaign praised Healey’s selection Tuesday, with HRC tweeting that the new governor will be “a role model for the entire LGBTQ+ community.”

Sarah Huckabee Sanders

Former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) has been elected governor of Arkansas, becoming the first woman to govern the state.

In a state where former President Trump remains popular, his former aide was favored to win the race between Democratic candidate Chris Jones and Libertarian Ricky Dale Harrington.

Sanders broke fundraising records in the state when she launched her campaign last year and maintained a double-digit lead over Jones in polls until Tuesday.

Sanders, the daughter of former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, is becoming the most prominent figure from the Trump administration to win their election.

Maxwell Frost

Democratic candidate Maxwell Frost became the first Gen Z member of Congress on Tuesday night.

Frost, just 25 years old, won the seat vacated by Rep. Val Demings (D), who launched a Senate bid in Florida. He has led progressive politics and is expected to become a new member of “The Squad” – a group of progressive representatives of color.

In a winning tweet, Frost tweeted on Tuesday that “history was made.”

“We made history for Floridians, for Gen Z and for everyone who believes we deserve a better future,” he tweeted. “I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to represent my home state in the United States Congress.”

Becca Balint

Democrat Becca Balint became the first woman and the first gay person to represent the state of Vermont in Congress. Vermont is the last state in the country to send a woman to Congress.

A former teacher, Balint defeated Republican Liam Madden, Libertarian Ericka Rudick and three independent candidates for the seat vacated when Democrat Peter Welch decided to run for the Senate.

In March, Balint spoke with The Hill’s Changing Americadescribing how she balances her identity with colleagues who seek to diminish her lived experiences as an openly gay leader with anti-LGBT legislation.

“I grew up with a very strong sense in my family that you can’t take democracy for granted,” Balint told Changing America. “I always encourage my colleagues, whether it’s in the legislature or when I was a teacher, or even as a community member, that we have to show up and have the tough conversations with people to make sure hate doesn’t take over; to make sure we don’t have simplistic views of each other.”

Anna Paulina Luna

Republican Anna Paulina Luna successfully flipped Florida’s 13th congressional district red on Tuesday.

Luna becomes Florida’s first Mexican-American elected to Congress and secures a new seat for Republicans in the House of Representatives. He is joined by 12 Florida Latino members of Congress: 10 of Cuban descent, one of Puerto Rican descent and one of Ecuadorian descent.

Luna defeated former President Barack Obama aide Eric Lynn in a tight race. She has received endorsements from conservative stars including Trump, Reps. Matt Gaetz (FL) and Lauren Boebert (CO) and TPUSA founder Charlie Kirk.

James Roesener

New Hampshire Democrat James Roesner became the first transgender man elected to any state legislature. Roesener will represent New Hampshire State House District 22, Ward 8.

Roesener was one of a record number of transgender and non-binary candidates running. Their candidacies come at a time when a number of anti-LGBTQ measures have been introduced across the country.

According to the Victory Fund, there are only eight transgender state lawmakers in the country, and only six transgender men serve in elected office.

“Trans people — and trans men in particular — continue to be underrepresented in government at all levels, but we’re confident his victory will inspire many more trans people to run for office,” said Annise Parker, president and CEO of the Victory Fund. , in a statement. “At a time of intensifying transphobia at all levels of government and society, Roesener showed incredible courage during his historic campaign.”

Anthony Brown

Anthony Brown, a longtime political figure in Maryland, will be the first black attorney general.

Brown, who represented Maryland’s 5th congressional district, previously served as the state’s lieutenant governor in the state House and ran for governor in 2014.

Brown was the favorite in the election against far-right Republican Michael Peroutka. According to the Baltimore Sun, Maryland has not elected a Republican attorney general since 1919.

Brown said he would say expand the civil rights department, protect abortion rights and work to reduce gun violence.

In his victory speech to more than 2,000 people on Tuesday, Brown said it was a “privilege and responsibility” to be elected attorney general.

Summer Lee

On Tuesday, Democrat Summer Lee became the first black woman to serve Pennsylvania in Congress. She will represent Pennsylvania’s 4th congressional district.

Her victory comes after the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s (AIPAC) political action committee, the United Democracy Project (UDP), sent last minute investment To left-leaning Republican challenger Mike Doyle. The move drew the ire of other progressives in Congress.

Lee has received support from progressives such as Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.) and Ayanna Pressley (Mass.), as well as Sens. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (Vermont). Lee will become the newest member of the “Squad” when he is sworn in.

Delia Ramirez

Delia Ramirez will represent Illinois’ 3rd congressional district. She is making history as the first Latina elected to Congress from a Midwestern state.

Ramirez, the daughter of immigrants, has spent most of her professional career in leadership positions in public service.

Her win comes after the 2020 redistricting made the district predominantly Hispanic. She defeated Republican Justin Burau.

“We just made history tonight,” Ramirez told a crowd of supporters on Tuesday. “We broke the glass ceiling.”