Trans candidates win six state races in US midterm elections

Transgender candidates won election races in six US states during the midterm elections, according to projections from NBC, CNN, and CBS. The victories occurred in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Michigan, Washington, and Wisconsin. These results represent the first time transgender representatives have been elected to public office in these jurisdictions.

The wins in the Deep South drew particular attention because the region has historically leaned conservative. In Georgia, Bentley Hudgins, a non-binary Democratic candidate, secured the state House seat for District 90. Hudgins defeated Republican Samantha Boston with 92.5% of the vote. This victory makes Hudgins the first person of Japanese descent in the Georgia Legislature.

Hudgins, a human rights leader, plans to prioritize efforts to counter what they describe as attacks by President Donald Trump and the Republican Party on Georgia residents. In Alabama, Democrat Allison Montgomery captured the District 25 state House seat from Republican Phillip Rigsby. This upset was one of three Democratic flips in the northern part of the state.

Montgomery faced criticism from Scott Stadthagen, the chair of the Alabama Republican Party. During the campaign, Stadthagen referred to Montgomery and another transgender Democratic candidate as men with mental disorders. In Florida, Quinnie Perez, a candidate of Mexican descent, became the first elected transgender official in the state.

Perez won a seat on the Orange County Soil and Water Conservation District Board of Supervisors. Her campaign focused on supporting agricultural workers and protecting local biodiversity. In Michigan, hospital chaplain Joanna Whaley became the first transgender person elected to the state legislature. Whaley described herself before the election as a survivor of years of conversion therapy.

In Washington, Jaelynn Scott won a state legislative seat, becoming the first Black transgender state legislator in the United States. Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford won the corresponding state legislative race in Wisconsin. These legislative victories coincided with Democratic wins in other high-profile state positions across Michigan, Washington, and Wisconsin.