Election history in the making: Women, black, gay, Gen Z candidates notch wins – New York Post
Voters tore down barriers across the country, with female, openly gay and black candidates scoring historic wins — and the first member of Generation Z was elected to the House of Representatives.
Maura Healey will be the first woman ever elected governor of Massachusetts, in addition to being the first openly gay politician sent to the Boston Statehouse and the first lesbian to lead a US state.
The current Massachusetts attorney general’s win over Republican Geoff Diehl also broke a historic curse of sorts. Since 1958, six former AGs had been defeated in their bids for high office.
Healey, who will replace retiring GOP Gov. Charlie Baker, addressed the momentous moment in a victory speech to supporters.
“Tonight I want to say something to every little girl and every young LGBTQ person out there. I hope tonight shows you that you can be whatever, whoever you want to be and nothing and no one can ever get in your way except you own imagination and that’s not going to happen.” Healey said.
“I stand before you tonight proud to be the first woman and the first gay person ever elected governor of Massachusetts,” she added.
Healy and her running mate Kimberley Driscoll also became the first all-female gubernatorial ticket to be elected in US history, a feat that was matched by Arkansas Republicans Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who was the first woman elected governor of the state, and her running mate Leslie Rutledge.
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Maryland voters elected the first black governor in state history, sending Democrat Wes Moore to Annapolis. Moore defeated Republican David Cox, and was replacing Larry Hogan, another retiring GOP governor.
His running mate Aruna Miller also became the first woman of color and the first immigrant elected to statewide office.
Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul also became the first woman elected governor of New York with her defeat of Lee Zeldin. Although Hochul was already in office, the former lieutenant governor had risen to power when Andrew Cuomo resigned last year.
In Florida, Maxwell Alejandro Frost, a 25-year-old Democrat, became the first member of Generation Z to be elected to Congress, defeating GOP challenger Calvin Wimbish to represent the Orlando area in the House.
Frost was born in 1997, making him one of the oldest members of his generation. House members are required to be at least 25 years old under the Constitution.
With AP wires