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By Julie Moreau
As the sun set in Washington on Tuesday night, a rainbow appeared on the Capitol. Candidates and LGBTQ advocates hoped that it was an early sign that a figurative "rainbow wave" would take away a historic number of lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer candidates.
It can be argued that their hopes have been fulfilled. With many races still too tight, more than 100 LGBTQ candidates took the win in mid-afternoon on Wednesday afternoon. In comparison, there are currently fewer than 600 openly LGBTQ elected representatives in the United States, barely 0.1% of nationally elected officials, according to the Victory Institute.
"This election is truly historic for LGBTQ candidates," said Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of the LGBTQ rights group, GLAAD, in a statement shared with NBC News.
RACES OF THE GOVERNOR
Four LGBTQ candidates ran for governors, all Democrats, and two should win.
In Colorado, with 90% of the vote on Wednesday night, NBC News announced that Jared Polis was ahead of his Republican rival, Walker Stapleton, with nearly 52% of the vote. Polis is about to become the first openly homosexual US-elected governor in the United States.
Patrick Egan, a professor of politics at New York University, described Polis' victory as a "remarkable turnaround" for the Centennial State, which "was in 1992 home to amendment 2," which banned the recognition of homosexuals as a protected class. And just over a decade ago, the state also passed amendment 43, which banned same-sex marriages.
"It says a lot about the transformation of this state and our country in terms of how voters think about LGBTQ candidates and LGBTQ rights," said Egan.
Oregon Housekeeper Kate Brown, a bisexual democrat who in 2016 became the first openly LGBTQ person to be elected governor, was also to win her race. With 99 percent of the vote on Wednesday afternoon, Brown was 6 points ahead of Republican Knute Buehler.
Lupe Valdez, a Latina lesbian running in Texas, and Christine Hallquist, a transgender running in Vermont, should both be defeated by their Republican challengers.
"The big disappointment of the evening is Christine Hallquist," said Egan, noting that she had met popular Republican President, Governor Phil Scott. "But I do not think it takes anything anyway from his historical candidacy."
Races
There are currently seven openly LGBTQ members in Congress: Senator Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis .; Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo .; David Cicilline, D-R.I .; Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, D-N.Y .; Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz .; Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Wis .; be p. Mark Takano, D-Calif.
The next 116th Congress will welcome several new LGBTQ members, although the total number of non-active members is only slightly increasing, with some members – like Polis – having sought a higher position.
Baldwin, the first elected LGBTQ in the Senate, was to be re-elected. Sinema was running for the Senate, but her race was still too tight to be called Wednesday night. If Sinema wins, she will be the first openly bisexual person elected to the Senate and the first woman senator of Arizona.
Of the 20 or so candidates running for the main LGBTQ parties in the House, seven have won and one is still too close to be called. Among the winners, the representative Mark Takano, D-Calif .; Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, D-N.Y .; David Cicilline, D-R.I .; be p. Mark Pocan, D-Wis. New members of the LGBTQ House include Democrats Sharice Davids of Kansas, Angie Craig of Minnesota and Chris Pappas of New Hampshire.
Katie Hill, California Democrat, leads the race in the 25th congressional district against Republican President Stephen Knight. Although NBC News has not announced a winner in this race on Wednesday night, Knight has conceded the election.
When all races are called, the number of LGBTQ members in both houses of Congress will increase slightly to eight or nine.
"This is a historic night in the fight for equality," said Representative Cicilline in a statement. "We will enter the 116th Congress with an unprecedented number of LGBTQ members."
"We are also celebrating the rise of a Democratic majority," continued Cicilline. "Important issues for LGBTQ people, such as the protection of the Equality Act against discrimination and equal and affordable access to health care, will now be top priorities for the House of the People. LGBTQ Congress members are ready to play a leading role in the House to ensure equality across the country. "
The victories of the LGBTQ challengers helped to give the House control of the Democrats. The Democrats needed 23 seats to take control of the House and on Wednesday morning they had 28 seats.
Pappas won his race by a landslide to occupy a Democratic seat and represent the 1st Congressional District of New Hampshire, a Trump District won by 2 percentage points. With this victory, Pappas becomes the first openly gay person to represent New Hampshire in Congress.
Democrat Sharice Davids toppled her Kansas district against outgoing Republican Kevin Yoder to become the first openly LGBTQ congressman in Kansas and one of the first two Native American women elected to Congress (with newly elected Democrat Debra Haaland). from Mexico).
"Tonight, Kansas voters gave way to a Trump ally and replaced him with a revolutionary LGBTQ leader who told the truth throughout the campaign," said the former mayor. of Houston, Annise Parker, now President and CEO of the LGBTQ Victory Fund, in a statement. at NBC News. "Sharice's win tonight will become a model for other LGBTQ leaders who are considering running for office in the states or red districts."
Similarly, Angie Craig of Minnesota defeated incumbent Jason Lewis with an important seat for the Democrats. She will also be the first LGBTQ mother open to Congress.
"Angie's victory is a historic moment that is redefining the possibilities for a LGBTQ person in Minnesota, and it's even sweeter as she has defeated one of the most homophobic and transphobic candidates in the US Congress." said Parker.
COURSES OF STATE AND LOCAL
The US legislatures will elect a record number of LGBTQ representatives, according to Andrew Reynolds, professor of political science at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. There have never been more than 119 LGBTQ state representatives openly across the country, but with 32 newly elected legislators, the total number will reach 129, according to Reynolds.
Several notable firsts also took place in the country's state palaces. Kansas, Nebraska and Indiana will welcome the very first LGBTQ legislators.
In Kansas, Susan Ruiz and Brandon Woodard won seats in the Kansas House of Representatives. In Nebraska, Megan Hunt became the first openly LGBTQ candidate to be elected to the state legislature and JD Ford beat Republican Mike Delph, a strong opponent of gay marriage, to become the first LGBTQ candidate elected to the legislature of Indiana.
Neil Rafferty won his race at the House of Representatives of Alabama, Mary Washington will become the first LGBTQ color person to be elected to the Maryland Senate and Malcolm Kenyatta is the first openly gay black man to win a seat at the Pennsylvania legislature.
"The rainbow wave has broken down in the state capitals of the country on election day, while an incredible number of LGBTQ party outgoing candidates have broken long-standing political barriers and are have become historical firsts, "said Parker.
"While our attention is often focused on Donald Trump and Congress, it is the legislative assemblies of our states where the most horrific attacks on the equality of LGBTQ people occur. But personal relationships matter in these legislative chambers, and we know that LGBTQ leaders have considerable influence over their colleagues' vote on equality issues. "
State-level representation is important because of the number of anti-LGBTQ bills introduced in recent years. In 2017, according to the Human Rights Campaign, 12 anti-LGBTQ bills were introduced in 30 states, of which 12 were adopted.
Two transgender women, Lisa Bunch and Gerri Cannon, also won their elections in New Hampshire, tripling transgender representation in US jurisdictions. Danica Roem, who in 2017 became the first transgendered person elected to the state legislature, congratulated both Cannon.
According to researcher Logan Casey, who tracks transgender political candidates nationwide, there are still many transgender candidates running state races. These candidates include Everett Maroon from Washington, Amelia Marquez from Montana, Briana Titone from Colorado and Lasia Casil from Guam. A number of transgender candidates also won local races for the city council and the school board.
Egan said the LGBTQ identity of the candidates was a major problem in none of the races.
"The dog that has not barked is really important, and that's really good for 2018 and the situation," he said.
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