Wow! I Didn’t See This Coming.

Overnight the election results have been coming in and I was expecting a trans candidate to win but this is amazing!

Transgender candidate wins, makes history in California
USA Today
By Jesse Marx
November 8, 2017

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — Lisa Middleton made history Tuesday night by becoming the first transgender person elected to a non-judicial office in California, joining Christy Holstege, a young attorney, in victory to the City Council.

Although not all the ballots had been counted, the gap between the top vote-getters and the others was significant. Shortly before 10 p.m. PT, Henry Hampton, who came in a distant third, conceded.

"It's all because of all of you that we are here tonight, celebrating a victory, a historic victory for our city and for our state," Middle told supporters around 9 p.m.

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Night of change for Minneapolis City Council as first transgender candidate wins
Andrea Jenkins' victory was a national first for a transgender woman of color. 
Star Tribune
By Emma Nelson
November 8, 2017

Andrea Jenkins, who won the Minneapolis Ward 8 City Council race is the first transgender woman of color elected to public office in the nation.

The Minneapolis City Council was poised for historic change Tuesday as voters elected the city’s first transgender council member, on a night that saw a handful of veteran council members from across the city struggling to hold on against strong challenges.

“I’m feeling elated. Ecstatic. Extraordinarily happy right now,” Andrea Jenkins, who becomes the first transgender woman of color elected to public office in a major U.S. city, said from her election night party at Curran’s Restaurant. “I’m really, really deeply proud of my community.”

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Tyler Titus wins seat to become first transgender person elected in Pennsylvania
PennLive
By Candy Woodall
November 7, 2017

Tyler Titus, a candidate for Erie School Board, on Tuesday became the first openly transgender person elected to office in Pennsylvania.

The 33-year-old father of two boys successfully campaigned for one of four open seats on the board.

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Dems unseat GOP in slew of Va. delegate races; Roem will become 1st transgender House member
WTOP
By Jack Moore
November 7, 2017

In one of the most closely watched races, Democrat Danica Roem, a local journalist, defeated Republican Del. Bob Marshall in Virginia’s 13th District, which includes parts of Prince William County and Manassas Park.

Roem, who carried 54 percent of the vote, made history as the first openly transgender elected official in Virginia history.

Roem made transportation improvements, including widening lanes and removing stoplights on Route 28 in Centreville, a key part of her campaign. But her gender identity drew national attention to the race.

Marshall, who introduced Virginia’s version of the so-called “bathroom bill,” refused to debate Roem and referred to her using male pronouns.

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What I like about these wins is that except for Ms. Roem election all of them were in local races; a school board election, and two city council elections. Why do I like the fact that they were local elections? It is because they are more visible and usually it is a more “hands-on” door to door elections, it is also a good way to start a political career.

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Update 3:50 PM

From the HRC website...

Gerri Cannon, New Hampshire (Somersworth School Board)
Cannon joined the Somersworth School Board yesterday. According to her LinkedIn page, she is planning on running for New Hampshire State Representative.

Stephe Koontz, Georgia (Doraville City Council)
Koontz won a spot on her hometown city council, becoming her city’s first openly transgender elected official.