first Amendment:
From the first openly gay female governor to the first Gen Zer elected to Congress, early results from the US midterm elections heralded a good night for diversity.
Maura Haley: First Gay State Governor
In Massachusetts, voters have elected Democrat Maura Haley as the first openly gay governor in the United States, according to television networks. The 51-year-old defeated Geoff Diehl, who was endorsed by former President Donald Trump, to wrestle Republicans into office.
She said she was “proud” of her historic victory, stressing to supporters that the result “sent a message to every girl and every LGBTIQ person, you can be anything you want to be.”
it’s official: @maura_haley Will be our next governor! We elected a woman who fought to protect working families—a warrior who went toe-to-toe with for-profit colleges and Big Oil—and that’s a huge win for the people of Massachusetts. Woo hoo!
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) November 9, 2022
Healy would also become the first female governor of Massachusetts.
Her victory, along with her running mate Kim Driscoll, meant that a woman would be both governor and lieutenant governor of a state for the first time.
Maxwell Frost: Generation Z comes to power
In Florida, Democrat Maxwell Frost became the first member of Generation Z to be elected to Congress, winning a seat in the US House of Representatives.
The 25-year-old defeated Republican Calvin Wimbish in a district that is solidly Democratic. “We made history for Floridians, for Generation Z, and for everyone who believes we deserve a better future,” the African-American tweeted.
I am Congressman-elect Maxwell Alejandro Frost and I will be the first member of Generation-Z in the United States Congress.
We created history!!! Don’t count out the young people. pic.twitter.com/Nd3vr5iPT0
— Maxwell Alejandro Frost (@MaxwellFrostFL) November 9, 2022
Frost, a former March for Our Lives organizer, campaigned for stricter gun control laws, abortion rights and expanded health care.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders: First Woman Elected Governor of Arkansas
Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a familiar face on the national scene having served as press secretary to former President Donald Trump, is the first female elected governor of Arkansas.
Sanders defeated Democratic nominee 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 the state’s governor from 1996 to 2007, making her the first daughter to serve as governor of a state run by her father.
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 were outnumbering 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.
Maryland, you showed that if we stand divided, we cannot win – but if we stand united, we cannot lose.
— Wes Moore (@iamwesmoore) for Governor of Maryland November 9, 2022
With his victory, Moore turned the office of Governor of Maryland from a Republican to a Democrat.
Moore, former president and former CEO of one of the nation’s largest anti-poverty organizations, campaigned to create equal opportunities for Marylanders.
Katie Britt: Alabama’s first female senator
Republican Katie Britt won the seat of her former boss Richard Shelby, who is retiring after 35 years in the Senate. Britt was Shelby’s chief of staff before leaving to run the state business lobby group.
He defeated Democrat Will Boyd and Libertarian John Sophocles.
Britt, 40, presents himself as part of a new generation of conservative leaders and will become one of the youngest members of the Senate. She would be the first Republican woman to hold one of the state’s Senate seats. The state’s previous senators, both Democrats, were appointed.
James Rosener: First Transgender State Legislator
For its part, New Hampshire became the first in US history to elect a transgender person to a state legislature, The Washington Post reported.
Democrat James Rosener was one of the trans candidates on the ballot this year.
Rosener will not become the first openly trans lawmaker, as several transgender women have been elected before.
with Associated Press and AFP
This article was adapted from its original in English.
