Maybe the Blue Wave didn’t come crashing down as hard as many of us hoped, but there are numerous wins (and firsts) that we should not take for granted! Here are just a few of the major positive takeaways from last night’s 2018 midterm elections:
Jared Polis became the first openly gay governor in the history of the United States
Beating his Republican opponent by a strong margin, Polis will be the next governor of Colorado. The governor-elect was open about being a proud member of the LGBTQ community throuhgout his campaign.
\u201cTonight, we reaffirm what makes Colorado the amazing state that it is.\n \nHere, we dream, we dare, and we do. We embrace big ideas and we work sun-up to sundown to make them realities. We see the highest mountains and we climb them. We face the tough decisions and we solve them.\u201d— Jared Polis (@Jared Polis) 1541561964
Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar become the the first Muslim women ever elected to Congress
Democrats Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota both won their races for House seats yesterday. This is the first time in the history of our nation that Muslim women were elected to Congress.
Sharice Davids and Deb Haaland become the first Native American women elected to Congress
Davids, who was elected to Congress in Kansas, is an attorney by training and a former mixed martial arts fighter. She is also openly gay. Haaland, who won in New Mexico, beat Janice Arnold-Jones, a Republican, and Lloyd Princeton, a Libertarian.
\u201cThank you, #KS03.\u201d— Sharice Davids (@Sharice Davids) 1541573383
\u201cThank you New Mexico. Thank you to my family. And thank you Team Deb, for your tireless work to get us here! Together, we made history! #nmpol #nm01\u201d— Deb Haaland (@Deb Haaland) 1541567665
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez becomes the youngest woman ever elected to Congress
At the age of 29, Ocasio-Cortez will be a New York congresswoman.
\u201cProgressives are told to run to the centre & tone down our anger. But that\u2019s awful advice.\n\n@Ocasio2018 has shown the world that being bold isn\u2019t a setback. \n\nIt\u2019s what sets you apart from the crowd. \n\nhttps://t.co/YKwI7YKhmR\u201d— Lyra Evans (@Lyra Evans) 1541596517
Teri Johnston becomes Floridia’s first openly gay woman to win a mayoral election
For the first time in nine years, Key West has elected a new mayor—and this time, she’s gay!
\u201cKey West voters make history. Teri Johnston becomes Florida's first openly lesbian woman to win an election as mayor. #Resist #LGBT #Midterm2018 #MidtermElection2018 \ud83c\udf08\u270a\ud83c\udffc\u201d— LGBT+ Puerto Rico (@LGBT+ Puerto Rico) 1541568576
Florida restores the right to vote for people with felony convictions who have served their time
Floridian voters just passed Amendment 4, a ballot initiative that restores voting rights to nonviolent felons. That means roughly 1.5 million Floridians with prior felony convictions will be eligible to vote in 2020.
\u201cBREAKING: Florida just voted to restore voting rights to 1.4 million people. #YesOn4\n\n1 in 10 Floridians had been shut out of our democracy. Tonight that changes \u2014 this is a huge victory thanks to the relentless activism of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition.\u201d— ACLU (@ACLU) 1541556559
Massachusetts voted Yes on 3
This state law will protect transgender people from discrimination in public accommodations, including bathrooms and locker rooms, rejecting efforts by opponents to repeal the 2-year-old law in the first statewide referendum in the U.S. on transgender rights.
\u201cBREAKING: Massachusetts just voted to maintain its anti-discrimination law protecting trans and nonbinary people.\n\nNo one should ever have to vote on their own existence, but this is a hard-won, important victory and we thank the people of MA for voting #YesOn3\u201d— ACLU (@ACLU) 1541559573
Over 100 LGBTQ candidates won races on the federal, state, and local levels
Yes, you read that correctly! The rainbow wave is upon us!
