Colorado voted for gay candidate.
US politician Jared Polis won a Democratic primary contest on Tuesday that could eventually see him make history as the first openly gay governor to be elected in the country.
Polis won the Democratic primary for governor in Colorado. If he goes on to win the US midterm elections in November this year, he’ll enter the history books.
Primary win: Polis now looking to November midterms.
The five-term House member will face Republican state treasurer, Walker Stapleton, in the 6 November election. Stapleton is related to the family of former US presidents George senior and junior Bush.
If he wins, 43 year-old Polis will take up residence in the Colorado state governor’s mansion accompanied by his husband and two children.
Polis and his partner, Marlon Reis, have two young children. A son called Caspian Julius and daughter Cora Barucha.
Polis is a successful businessman who has set up and sold a number of internet startups. He’s thought to be one of the richest democrats in Congress. His net worth is around $388m, according to ColoradoPolitics.com.
First trans woman elected to public office in Maryland
Separately, Sharon Brackett has become the first trans woman to be elected to a public office in the State of Maryland. She triumphed in a contested primary against 14 other candidates.
‘I would like to believe that being trans is the least interesting thing about me,’ she said, ‘but I recognize the significance and the importance that this moment brings especially to thousands of trans individuals like myself who may have previously thought public office was unattainable.
Sharon Brackett (centre) campaigning in Maryland. Photo: Sharon Brackett, Facebook
‘Tonight’s victory is a testament that with hard work, dedication and an ‘infectious optimism’ that regardless of gender identity one can serve the public in any capacity.’
A computer engineer and business executive, Brackett was elected to the 46th District Democratic Central Committee representing neighborhoods across Baltimore City. She secured 3,901 votes and placed third out of 15 candidates in her first run for office.
Brackett has been an activist for LGBT rights in Maryland for most of the last decade. She is a founder and board chair of Gender Rights Maryland and was Baltimore Pride’s activist of the year in 2014.
