Two Trans Texans Running For The Texas Lege!

When we get to cast ballots in the general election this November, Texas Democrats are only nine tantalizing flipped seats away from gaining control of the Texas House for the first time since 2002 .

That would be huge as we go into a 2021 legislative session that will have redistricting on the agenda.

One of the things that would also be huge is if that new class of 2021 legislators had trans Texans as part of it. 

While we have actually had trans Texans serve in public office, we unfortunately have never had a trans Texan be elected to any public office in the Lone Star State. 

Phyllis Frye has been serving since 2010 as a Houston municipal judge,  and was appointed to the position by then Mayor Annise Parker 

Jess Herbst served as mayor of New Hope, TX for two years,   She was serving on city council as the mayor pro tem and took over after the mayor's May 2016 death. She unfortunately lost her bid to win a full term of her own in 2018.

In 2018 Finn Jones advanced out of an uncontested Democratic primary to take on one of the Texas trans community's biggest haters in incumbent District 94 Rep Tony Tinderholt.(R).  Jones made history as the first out Texas trans person to make it to a legislative general election race, and the first out trans masculine Texans to win a party primary . 

Unfortunately, even in a great election year for Texas Democrats, we couldn't get that electoral breakthrough we needed.  Tinderholt was one of the few North Texas House Republicans to survive the Blue Tsunami and win reelection 

So while we trans Texans are still looking for someone to make that Lone Star State history and get elected, history was made on March 3 when two trans feminine Texans won their Democratic primary races to make it to the November 2020 ballot.

In the Panhandle, Addison Perry Franks secured her spot in the District 83 general election by beating James Barrick  by a 54%-46% margin in the Democratic Primary. 

Perry-Franks will take on incumbent Rep Dustin Barrows (R) in the fall and attempt to flip the Lubbock area seat blue. . .

Meanwhile in Central Texas'  House District 17, Madeline Eden was advancing to the general election against incumbent Rep. Jon Cyrier (R), who was also unopposed in the GOP primary.   Cyrier has held this Austin metro area seat since 2015.

Eden is the current chair of the Bastrop County Stonewall Democrats and a former Democratic Party precinct chair.  She has also been endorsed by the Victory Fund.

So here;'s hoping that Eden flips that Centex seat.

And we could have a third trans person running for the Texas Lege if perennial candidate Jenifer Rene Pool wins the Texas House District 138 Democratic runoff for this Houston area seat against Akilah Bacy.

This was the seat that former Rep Dwayne Bohac (R) won by a razor thin 47 votes over Adam Milasincic in 2018, and Bohac retired when the 2019 session concluded.   This seat is seen as a prime pickup opportunity for Texas Democrats, and its a must get.

The winner in that May 22 runoff will take on Republican candidate Lacey Hull in the general.

So will 2020 finally be the year that Texas trans people get a trans person elected to The Lege?
We'll find out in November

Sarah McBride's Running For A Delaware Senate Seat!

I first met Sarah McBride back during the 2012 NBJC Out on the Hill event when she was a White House intern and I was visiting the Obama White House for an all day policy briefing.

After being pleasantly surprised pleased to see a girl like us Obama White House intern,  I made a mental note to keep up with her because I felt at the time she was destined to do some great things for our community and our country.

My intuition about her turned out to be right on target.  Sarah went on after completing that White House internship to do some amazing things.

She was hired by HRC to become its national press secretary.   In 2013 she helped pass her home state of Delaware's statewide trans non discrimination law, and received the Delaware Order of the First State for her efforts to do so from former Gov. Jack Markell. 

She became the first out trans person to make a political convention stage speech when she did so during the 2016 DNC convention in Philadelphia.



And now Sarah McBride is attempting to become a Delaware state senator in 2020.

She recently announced her candidacy for a recently vacated state senate seat, and if she's successful, she will become the first out trans person to ever be elected as a state senator. 

But her run will focus on the issues facing her potential constituents, not her trans identity.

"At the end of the day, I'm not running to be a transgender state senator, I'm running to be a senator who serves her community, I'm running to be a senator who fights for affordable health care, I'm running to be a senator who works to expand access to paid leave and reform our broken criminal justice system," McBride told local radio station WDEL. "Those will be my priorities." 

She's running for the Delaware 1st District seat formerly held by Harris McDowell (D-Wilmington North) He was Delaware's longest serving state senator, having been first elected to the chamber in 1976. 

McDowell announced his retirement on June 30, the last day of the 2019 legislative session, and capping a 44 year career.





I'm already enthusiastically giving her a 2020 TransGriot endorsement for this position. I'm also  hoping this happens for her, her potential constituents and our community. 

And yeah, it goes without saying that it would be nice for y'all to drop some cash toward her election campaign.    
 
Good luck Sarah, and hope you make more history in that 2020 election cycle.

Frankie Gonzales-Wolfe Is Running For San Antonio City Council

Over the last two election cycles in 2017 and 2018, voters have increasingly shown their willingness to elect trans candidates to office.   Councilmembers Andrea Jenkins and Phillipe Cunningham are serving their constituents on the Minneapolis City Council, with Jenkins also serving as the council vice president.

VA Del. Danica Roem is one of four openly trans state legislators serving her constituents in her district, and was joined by Rep Brianna Titone in Colorado, and Reps Gerri Cannon and Lisa Bunker in NH in the 2018 election cycle.

Here in Texas,  we have had trans masculine and trans feminine people running for all kinds of offices, and some have even made history like Phyllis Frye, our first transgender municipal judge in Houston who was reappointed by Mayor Sylvester Turner, and Jess Herbst, who served as mayor of New Hope,TX after the death of the town's longtime mayor.

Finn Jones and Jenifer Rene Pool were the first to win Democratic Party primary races for the state legislature and Harris County commissioner, and Vanessa Edwards Foster got an impressive 17% of the vote in her 2018 Democratic congressional primary race.

But unfortunately we have had no openly trans Texan elected to public office in the Lone Star State, much less any trans Texans of color who have attempted to run for office.

Frankie Gonzales-Wolfe is attempting to change that.   She's a small business owner and political consultant who has been running various campaigns for over 20 years.

Now this proud trans Latina is taking on the challenge of running her own potentially historic race for the San Antonio City Council.

She's running for the District 8 seat in northwest San Antonio against the incumbent council member Manny Pelaez and Tony Valdivia

The 55 square miles inside the District 8 boundaries  are not only the most diverse and fastest growing area of the city of San Antonio, it is home to UTSA, UT Health San Antonio, the San Antonio Medical Center, three of the city's largest employers in Valero, USAA and NuStar, the Fiesta Texas amusement park,  the Camp Bullis military base and the Northside ISD.

It was also formerly represented by current San Antonio mayor Ron Nirenberg, and has a history of  producing people who have moved on to statewide leadership.

Gonzales-Wolfe wants more transparency and inclusion in San Antonio city government, and has a vision for District 8 that seek to deal with traffic and infrastructure issues, growth, climate change
and economic development.

She is working hard to make sure on May 4 that history is made and a Texas electoral ceiling is pushed through.

Good luck, Frankie!  Hope you make that Texas history and give me something else to celebrate on my birthday!

Christine Hallquist Attempts To Make More Vermont Trans Electoral History

Four primary elections are happening today in the states of Connecticut, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Vermont.   In addition to seeing what transpires in some races key to who holds control of the US House and Senate, the American trans community's eyes will be on Vermont as another trans candidate attempts to make electoral history. 

Back in 2000, the late Karen Kerin made history in the state by winning the Republican nomination for Vermont's US House seat.  She subsequently got blown out in the general election by Bernie Sanders.

A conservative who was a perennial candidate in the Green Mountain State, Kerin was also the 2008 Republican candidate for attorney general, and lost Republican primary election races for the US House in 2002 and for attorney general in 2006. 

In her last race in 2010, Kerin was making her second run as a Libertarian candidate for Vermont attorney general.  She had previously run as a Libertarian for attorney general in the 2004 election cycle   

Kerin passed away in 2014 at age 69.   

Now as we fast forward to this crucial 2018 election cycle, another Vermont trans person in 62 year old Christine Hallquist has stepped up to run in the Vermont Democratic Party primary race for governor.

Her platform includes Medicare For All, access to better education and more high wage jobs.

The former energy executive is running against three other candidates in James Ehlers, Brenda Sigel and 14 year old high school student Ethan Sonneborn. 

Sonneborn is eligible because Vermont does not require candidates to be of voting age.

If Hallquist wins the nomination, she would make electoral history on two fronts by becoming the first out trans person in the Green Mountain State to win a Democratic primary for any office. 
She would also become the first out trans person nationally to win a major party nomination for governor 

She would also take on the winner of the Republican gubernatorial primary race between incumbent Governor Phil Scott and Keith Stern.

Early voting has already occurred in Vermont, so it will be interesting to see what transpires when the polls close later this evening.


TransGriot Update:  Hallquist did make history!   She won the Democratic primary, and will take on the incumbent Republican governor Phil Scott in the fall.   

Hawaii 2018 Primary Election Today

The Hawaii primary election is taking place today, and one of the races I have my eye on in the Aloha State is the lieutenant governor's one.

Current Lt Governor Doug Chin (D) decided to run for the 1st Congressional seat being vacated by Rep. Colleen Hanabusa (D), who decided to primary challenge incumbent Gov. David Ige (D).

Kim Coco Iwamoto, who served two terms on the Hawaii State Board of Education in 2006 and 2010 and was subsequently appointed to the Hawaii Human Rights Commission, is running in this crowded five candidate Democratic primary race for Lt. Governor.

She has been surging in the latest polls, but will she get enough support from Aloha State voters to win this statewide race and the Democratic  lieutenant governor's nomination? 

She has been endorsed by one of the major labor unions in Hawaii and Trans United Fund

If she does, she'll get one step closer to making more electoral history by becoming the first out trans person to win a major party lieutenant governor primary in the US. 

However, we won't find out the results of today's Hawaii primary election until all the ballots are cast, counted and the totals revealed in the early morning hours of Sunday our time.

You know I'm hoping for that trans electoral history to happens for her.

 

Will Kim Coco Make More Electoral History This Saturday?

Kim Coco Iwamoto is no stranger to making electoral history in her home state of Hawaii.

She was twice elected to the Hawaii State Board of Education in 2006 and 2010, becoming the first out trans person to be elected to a statewide office.   Now the former member of the Hawaiian Human Rights Commission is attempting to become the lieutenant governor of the Aloha State

She has a contested Democratic Party primary election that she has to get through first that takes place on August 11.   There are four other Democratic candidates besides Iwamoto in the lieutenant governor's race, and should she win this still tight race that is up for grabs, that will put her one step closer to becoming Hawaii's lieutenant governor.

Iwamoto has been endorsed by the UNITE HERE Local 5 union that reps over 11,000 Hawaiian hospitality, health and food service workers and the Maui Times.    The Local 5 endorsement is considered a major one in Hawaiian politics, and she has been surging in the polls in the runup to the election with a lot of people still trying to make up their minds about who will be their next lieutenant governor. 

Here's hoping that happens for Kim Coco and for our community.   We'll find out if it does this Saturday.

A Black Trans Man Is Running For The Nevada State Assembly!

The breakthrough victories of Councilmembers Phillipe Cunningham and Andrea Jenkins in Minneapolis last year have given hope to other Black trans people who have contemplated running for public office they can also successfully run for office and win.

Now comes word that LaDon Henry is seeking to become the first trans masculine person elected to the state legislature in Nevada. 

We have already had a trans feminine person in Nevada attempt to run and win a legislative seat in that state.  Lauren Scott made three runs at a Reno area Nevada legislative seat as a Republican. and became in 2014 the first trans candidate in Nevada to win a party primary.   She was defeated in her last two attempts in the 2014 and 2016 general election cycles to win the District 30 seat.

The 41 year old Army veteran, husband of Shalonda, small business owner and radio host was like many trans people running for office.   Henry was motivated by Trump getting elected president and his well founded fears of what 45 would do to roll back TBLGQ legislative protections.

The first time candidate is running for the District 42 seat in the Las Vegas metro area being vacated by Assemblywoman Irene Bustamante Adams (D), who decided not to seek reelection to a fourth term .

The Clark County district has a 2-1 Democratic registration advantage, and Henry has two challengers in his District 42 Democratic primary in Alexander Aseefa and Kathleen Lauckner

Henry, true to his 'No Voice Left Unheard' campaign slogan,  has stated if he wins, he'll focus on improving Nevada's education system, diversifying the economy, and fighting for underrepresented communities like ex-prisoners, at risk youth and immigrants.

"It wasn't just me being transgender that made me want to run.  There are so many different marginalized communities right now that don't feel like citizens,"said Henry.

Because no Republican filed to run in District 42, the winner of the June 12 primary will become the successor to the retiring Assemblywoman Adams

Henry would also be if he is successful, not only the first out trans person elected to the Nevada state legislature, he would be the first Black trans masculine state legislator.

As of right now Henry hasn't been endorsed by the Nevada Democratic Party or any other political groups, but that may change as we get closer to the June 12 Nevada Primary

Here's hoping that Henry makes history and becomes another Black trans elected official!
 

Andrea Marra and Melissa Sklarz Running For Office In New York State!

The list of trans people,running for office in 2018 to #TransformPolitics continues to grow.

Have two more names to add to that list and both are longtime advocates and friends of mine in New York state running for legislative office there.

Andrea Marra is running for a New York State senate seat in Senate District 13 against the incumbent DINO senator Jose Peralta.   Peralta is colluding with the NY Senate Republicans so they can keep control of the Senate and block progressive legislation coming out of the Democratically controlled state Assembly. 

Senate District 13 covers the neighborhoods of Queens, Jackson Heights and  Astoria in New York City.

One of the bills that is caught up in that legislative drama is GENDA.   That transgender rights bill has passed multiple times by large margins out of the Assembly, but has yet to get a hearing, much less a vote in the Republican controlled Senate in large part because of the sellout group of Democrats who caucus with the Republicans.

Should Andrea's run for the SD 13 seat be successful, it would not only put a Democrat back in the Senate 13 seat, it would also put the party one step closer to finally getting control of the NY Senate in a predominately Democratic state and breaking the GOP senate logjam preventing progressive legislation from getting passed and signed into law by Gov.Andrew Cuomo (D).

Andrea said this about her race on her Facebook page.

It’s time to dish on what I’ve been working on for months. With already 210 contributions raising nearly $50,000 in just 30 days, I’m running for state senate to tackle the affordability crisis affecting New Yorkers from all walks of life. An affordable New York enabled my parents to succeed and I am running to ensure that other working and middle class people are offered that same kind of opportunity.

I’m running against the incumbent Jose Peralta who walked away from the Democratic conference and now shares power with the Republicans. Enabling the party of Trump is clearly not the answer, yet Peralta is proud of his new affiliation. He even accepted $20,000 from Richard LeFrak, a close friend and major donor to Trump. Now more than ever, we need a strong and progressive state government to safeguard all New Yorkers from the real harm coming out of the White House. And I am excited to work hard and earn the privilege of serving my local community.

In the coming weeks and months, I look forward to meeting more of my neighbors and listen to their concerns where 167 languages are spoken and difference of all kinds is valued. Let’s transform New York, together.#Marra2018 #SD13 #QNS #WatchMeWork

Marra would also be making history if she's successful.   If she wins she'd be the first out Asian American elected to the NY Senate and the second Asian descended trans person elected to public office anywhere in the United States. 

Kim Coco Iwamoto, who was elected to the Hawaii State Board of Education in 2006 and is currently running in the Democratic primary to become Hawaii's lieutenant governor, was the first Asian trans person to make that electoral history. 

Marra would also be the first out trans person of any ethnic background elected to the New York state legislature.

The other person attempting to make electoral history is another longtime New York based trans advocate in Melissa Sklarz.

Melissa is no stranger to making history.  In 2016 she became one of the first trans person in New York state who was named and cast a vote as an Electoral College presidential elector 

Sklarz is running for the 30th State Assembly district seat that is also in Queens.   The 30th Assembly District covers Woodside, Maspeth, and parts of Middle Village, Astoria, Sunnyside and Long Island City.

She's also challenging an incumbent in Assemblyman Brian Barnwell who defeated a 9 time incumbent in the Democratic primary in 2016.

So needless to say Melissa is going to have a tough race and this is what she had to say about it from her Facebook page.  .

"My dream is finally coming true. I am excited to announce my run for the New York State Assembly’s 30th Assembly District in Queens (Woodside, Maspeth, and parts of Middle Village, Astoria, and Sunnyside). This is the first of many announcements to come about this campaign. This race will not be easy, and I will need your help."

After the 2016 election, I realized that now, more than ever, my years of experience in Albany and NYC advocating for equality will be put to good use representing the voters in my district. With our transportation network in crisis, the Trump budget assault on New Yorkers, and women still lacking proper representation in all sectors, I will make sure all voices are heard in Albany. 

Please donate whatever you can and share with your networks. I look forward to working with you and for you! #Melissa2018https://secure.actblue.com/donate/melissa-2018-1

Should Sklarz win this race, she would be making trans history again by becoming the first out trans person elected to the New York General Assembly.

Run Andrea and Melissa Run!   Good luck to both of you in this 2018 election year that is becoming more interesting by the day. 

Hope those of you living in New York will help them both out and help them with their campaigns either with your cash, your volunteer time and more importantly, your votes.   

This is your chance trans New Yorkers, to elect someone to the legislature to represent you, and hope you take advantage of it.

Not Down With Endorsing Chelsea Manning's Run For US Senate

I have been saying for years that trans people need to run for office, and many have answered that call.   In the 2017 cycle we even had several get elected to the Virginia General Assembly, two to the Minneapolis City council, and several others to city councils and a school board across the country.

In my home state of Texas in this 2018 cycle we now have five trans people running for office.  Four are running for the Texas state legislature, and one is running for Congress.

Kim Coco Iwamoto is now running for the Hawaii lieutenant governor's chair.

And sadly, we also have a barely out of federal prison for violations of the Espionage Act Chelsea Manning now deciding she wants to run for office. 

She's primary challenging current US Senator. Ben Cardin (D-Maryland).  Really?   A sitting senator who is a longtime friend to our community in that chamber? 

How do I know that?  When I was lobbying on Capitol Hill back in the late 90's, he was one of the representatives at that time who was ahead of the curve when it came to trans rights issues.

Cardin was also one of the congress members who gave me and other trans advocates participating in the 1999 GenderPac Lobby Day a warning about the backlobbying that had been done to us on Capitol Hill.

While I'm always down for qualified trans people running for office, and it really makes my day when trans people run and win, I'm not ride or die with this Senate race for a few reasons.

*Chelsea is a polarizing figure inside and outside the trans community.  You either think she's a hero or a traitor.  (I lean in the traitor direction)

*She has little chance of beating Ben Cardin 

*Trans vets have a massive dislike of her because they believe her actions almost screwed with our fight to get open trans military service in the US.  Some trans vets I've talked to about her also believe she brought dishonor to the up until that point sterling service reputation of transgender troops in our military

*Senators have access to classified data, and Chelsea, would not be trusted with it after being convicted of handing over nearly 750,000 documents to RussiaLeaks.

And if you think I'm kidding about what the trans vets think about her, here's Shane Ortega's thoughts about Chelsea Manning.

***

WTF 2018, Chelsea Manning cannot be elected to the US Senate! 

It simply boils down to she is not qualified nor mature and tactically patient enough to lead. She has already had the opportunity to serve the nation and failed.

What is that example?   That example of failed leadership is being the poor way in which she chose to be a whistle blower.  She could have used discretion or the chain of command in releasing and reporting her findings and she chose not to do that.  She was held accountable by UCMJ (Universal Court of Military Justice) for that.

Truly loyal service members respect the integrity of the UCMJ and chain of command. They would never release 700,000* classified documents to Wikileaks. They would go to an official news company as they have practice in releasing this type of information.

That did not happen, and because it didn't. Marines and Navy Seals were killed because of it and documents she released were found in the cave with Osama bin Laden. 

Her crime was not being transgender or positive intentions to reveal the the truth. It is the manner and fact of the deplorable zealous way that it was enacted. 

Furthermore her behavior surrounding her gender while imprisoned was also not up to standard.

She used that as an excuse for her behavior and has truly benefited off her white privilege.   No other transgender women who were incarcerated have walked away with $100,000 donated dollars and a book deal pushed by non-profit organizations.

***

Curious as to who put the bug in her ear to primary challenge Cardin.  He was an enthusiastic supporter of  Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primary, and she overwhelmingly won in Maryland by a 62.5%-33.8% margin.  Cardin has also been a huge critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin

That's one of many questions she needs to answer.  Even if she does, it's not going to change my mind about the fact that I can't support or endorse her in this race.

Because Manning was convicted of an Espionage Act violation, and only had her sentence commuted by President Obama, it's highly unlikely she'd get another clearance.

That means Maryland Dems toying with the idea of voting for her, without that crucial security clearance, she would not be able to see classified documents or sit in briefings, meetings or Senate committee hearings in which classified information is presented.

And no, she hasn't put in the work or time in this community to think she can represent us at the federal level.

Ashlee Preston Is Running For Office!

The list of trans folks running for public office in 2018 just got a little bit longer.

Civil rights activist and journalist Ashlee Preston has announced she is going to run for the California State Assembly for the District 54 seat that was held by Assemblyman Sebastian Ridley-Thomas

The 30 year old Assemblyman abruptly announced on Wednesday he was resigning from the seat and terminating his reelection campaign for it effective immediately because of health reasons.   

Ridley-Thomas is the son of LA County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, and the Morehouse grad  first captured the safely Democratic seat at just 26 years old in a 2013 special election.  He was in the middle of his second full two year term before announcing his resignation.

Ashlee Preston has decided to jump into the race to be the next Assemblyperson from the Los Angeles area district that covers West LA, Mid-City LA and Culver City.

"As someone directly impacted by the issues that often diminish the quality of life, I have an acute understanding of which policies must be put into play in order to move progress forward for the constituents of the 54th District and beyond," said Preston.

"I believe in prioritizing people over politics.  We are more than percentage points; we are real people with real stories.  I fully intend to continue honoring those experiences, and advocating for those who don't have a seat at the table," she added. 

A special election for the remainder of Ridley-Thomas' term will be held soon but as of this writing a date for it hasn't been set.

If Preston is successful in capturing the 54th District seat, she would become the first out Black trans woman elected to a state legislative seat since Althea Garrison did so in 1990.

Best of luck to Ashlee, and hope that she is chosen by the voters of District 54 to represent them in Sacramento and make that history..

TransGriot Update: Preston has decided to suspend her campaign 

You Can Call Phillipe Councilmember-Elect Cunningham!

It took us another day to have it confirmed, but the Minneapolis City Council will have TWO Black trans people sitting on it in a few weeks!

Phillipe Cunningham quit his policy job with Minneapolis Mayor Betsy Hodges to focus on the Herculean task of taking on 20 year incumbent and Minneapolis City Council Board President Barb Johnson.    She had served on the council since 1997, held the presidency for 8 years and was a second generation holder of this Ward 4 seat her mother had previously held.

Johnson was considered unbeatable, but as anyone who watches politics can tell you, no one is unbeatable.  You stay in office long enough and sooner or later you are going to lose an election.

Cunningham was all over Ward 4 introducing himself to voters who liked his message, and combined with help from Trans United Fund and Outfront MN built a campaign team that increased turnout in Ward 4 to the point it helped him grab the historic win.

Minneapolis has an interesting ranked choice voting system that eliminates runoff elections.  Johnson led him by a mere 125 votes that night, but didn't break 50%, which meant that they would have to go through the second and third choice counts until either he or Johnson were declared the winner.

Cunningham made up the early deficit and beat Johnson by 175 votes. 
 

By toppling the Ward 4 incumbent, Cunningham becomes the first out Black trans masculine person elected to public office in the US, the first trans masculine person elected to the Minneapolis City Council, and the first out transmasculine person of any ethnic background to be elected to a the city council of a large city.

And it couldn't have happened to a nicer person.
 
Congratulations Phillipe for your historic win! 

So proud of you, and know that you and Andrea will do some amazing work in conjunction with your fellow councilmembers making your wards and the City of Minneapolis better.

A Historic 2017 Election Night For Transkind

Today is the first anniversary of, well you all know what tragically happened on this day.

But last night's elections were part of a Democratic tsunami that saw them regain control of the Washington state Senate, come close to taking back the House of Delegate in Virginia, sweep the executive offices in VA, keep the New York City mayor's chair, and flip the governor's mansion in New Jersey back to the Democrats.

That 2017 Democratic political tsunami also helped several trans candidates rack up historic wins.

Andrea Jenkins became the first trans person of any ethnic background to win a city council seat in a major city when she won her War 8 set with a whopping 73% of the vote..

As impressive as Jenkins win was, she could soon be joined on the Minneapolis City Council by Phillipe Cunningham who is also poised to make history.

Cunningham took on a 20 year incumbent who is also the current council president in Barb Johnson. After the first round of voting in Minneapolis' ranked choice system was only trailing her in this race by a mere 120 votes.   The winner of the Ward 4 council seat will be determined either today or in the next few days. 

Should Cunningham win, it would not only be a political earthquake level win in Minneapolis, he would become the first Black trans man in the US to be elected to public office and, like Jenkins, the first of any ethnic background to be elected to the city council of a major city.

And as many of you are already aware of, Danica Roem slayed her legislative dragon in Bigot Bob Marshall, and it wasn't close.   She beat him by ten percentage points 55%-45% to win her landmark VA 13 House of Delegates race.

There were some other trans folks who rn for office in 2017 who didn't capture the headlines, but were ultimately successful in their runs for public office 

Tyler Titus ran for and won one of the four open seats on the Erie, PA school board last night, becoming the first out trans person to win elective office in the state of Pennsylvania.

In a concrete example of every vote counts, Stephe Koontz won her race for the Doraville, GA City Council Position 3 seat by a mere six votes.

If seven of her voters had stayed home, we wouldn't be calling her Councilmember-elect Koontz today

Out west in California, there was another historic election happening with a trans candidate at the center of it. 

Lisa Middleton became the first out trans candidate to run for and win a non judicial race ( Judge Vicky Kolakowski made that history in Alameda County back in 2012) when she won a seat on the Palm Springs, CA City Council.   One of the people who endorsed Councilmember-elect Middleton was former US Senator Barbara Boxer. 

It was also a big night for Trans United Fund, who backed Roem, Jenkins, Cunningham and Browde, and had two huge breakthrough political wins with a possible third one being determined as you read this. .

TUF was on the ground in Virginia, Minnesota and New York for over a year.  The largest independent It was critical in Phillipe's Ward 4 race and may be the decisive factor should he win this race against 20 year incumbent and Council President Barb Johnson. 

The phone banking, fundraising, mailing, the canvassing all powered by a trans led political organization and its coalition partners with the goal of building and growing sustained trans political power.

It wasn't all wonderful news on this November 7 night for trans political candidates.  Chrissie Browde narrowly lost her race in New Castle, NY by a mere 264 votes.  Hope she tries again in another election cycle.

Thanks to all of the people who stepped up in this cycle to run for office in their various locales and all the folks who helped them get across the finish line.  Whether you were successful or not as a tran candidate in 2017, the message that you undeniably sent was that we are part of our various communities, and we aren't going away. 

Another message you sent to our right-wing opposition was that pushing anti-trans hate for electoral advantage may not be a wise political strategy.  A growing list of Republican ex-politicians including Pat McCrory (NC), Debbie Riddle and Gilbert Pena (TX), Lee Bright (SC) and now Bob Marshall are real time examples of transphobia costing you your political career. 

You also sent a positive message to our trans kids that helps expands their horizons concerning what is possible for a trans person born in the US. 

You 2017 trans candidates whether you spectacularly won or narrowly lost, sent the message to our trans kids that one day, should you decide you wish to go into politics, you too can run and win public office.

And that's what makes this an important and historic election night for trans kind.