Generation Z and LGBTIQ+ candidates conquer space in the US.

First modification: 09/11/2022 – 15:12

Maura Healey: first lesbian state governor

In Massachusetts, voters elected Democrat Maura Healey as America’s first lesbian governor, network television projected. The 51-year-old defeated Geoff Diehl, who had been endorsed by former President Donald Trump to take office from Republicans.

She said she was “proud” of her historic victory, telling supporters that the result sent a message “to every girl and every LGBTIQ person out there, you can be anything you want to be.”

Healey will also become the first female governor of Massachusetts.

Her victory, along with her running mate Kim Driscoll, means a woman will serve as both governor and lieutenant governor of a state for the first time.

Maxwell Frost: Generation Z rises to power

In Florida, Democrat Maxwell Frost became the first member of Generation Z to be elected to Congress by winning a seat in the US House of Representatives.

The 25-year-old defeated Republican Calvin Wimbish in a district that leans solidly Democratic. “We have made history for Floridians, for Generation Z, and for everyone who believes we deserve a better future,” the African-American tweeted.

Frost, a former organizer of the March For Our Lives, campaigned for tougher gun control laws, abortion rights and expanded healthcare.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders: First Woman Elected Governor of Arkansas

Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a familiar face on the national scene after serving as press secretary for former President Donald Trump, is the first woman elected governor of Arkansas.

Sanders defeated Democratic candidate Chris Jones in his predominantly Republican home state after breaking state fundraising records and earning an early endorsement from Trump.

However, the 40-year-old Republican is no stranger to the Arkansas Governor’s Mansion in Little Rock. Her father, Mike Huckabee, was governor of the state from 1996 to 2007, making her the first daughter to serve as governor of a state her father led.

Wes Moore: First Black Governor of Maryland

Democrat Wes Moore was elected Maryland’s first black governor after defeating Republican Dan Cox in a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-1.

Moore is the third black governor elected in the country’s 246-year history, following Douglas Wilder of Virginia in 1989 and Deval Patrick of Massachusetts in 2006.

With his victory, Moore changed the office of Governor of Maryland from a Republican to a Democrat.

A combat veteran and former CEO of one of the nation’s largest anti-poverty organizations, Moore campaigned to create equal opportunity for Marylanders.

Katie Britt: Alabama’s first female senator

Republican Katie Britt won the seat held by Richard Shelby, her former boss, who is retiring after 35 years in the Senate. Britt was Shelby’s chief of staff before leaving to head a state business lobby group.

He defeated Democrat Will Boyd and Libertarian John Sophocleus.

Britt, 40, is running as part of a new generation of Conservative leaders and will become one of the youngest members of the Senate. She will be the first Republican woman to hold one of the state Senate seats. The previous state senators, both Democrats, had been appointed.

James Roesener: First Transgender State Legislator

For its part, New Hampshire became the first in US history to elect a transgender man to a state legislature, the ‘Washington Post’ reported.

Democrat James Roesener was one of the trans candidates on this year’s ballot.

Roesener will not become the first openly trans lawmaker, as several transgender women have previously been elected.

With AP and AFP

This article was adapted from its original in English