Texas voters elect first gay Black men, Muslims to Legislature and other historic firsts – The Dallas Morning News

As results began to pour in from Tuesday’s midterms, voters waited anxiously to see what the outcomes could mean for their party.

But some races were about more than just flipping a seat — several candidates had the potential to make history as the first member of their community elected to political office.

Primarily white and male institutions are beginning to change face, with the number of member belonging to racial or ethnic minorities slowly growing in size, and results from this midterm attest to this trend. Statewide and nationally, it was a historic night for women, the LGBTQ community and other historically marginalized groups.

There are a handful of races that made election history Tuesday night, including in North Texas. Here are some notable victories:

First female land commissioner

Texans elected its first female land commissioner Tuesday night, former Republican state senator Dawn Buckingham.

Buckingham beat Democratic conservationist Jay Kleberg and will be the first woman to serve in the position ever since its inception 185 years ago. The land commissioner’s office, which is considered a springboard for higher office, is responsible for overseeing the Alamo historic site, maintaining public lands and responding to natural disasters.

First Muslim lawmakers

Two lawmakers also made history as the first-ever elected Muslims winning seats in the Texas House.

Voters in Tarrant County elected Salman Bhojani to represent House District 92. The former Euless City Council member wrote he is also the first South Asian elected to the state legislature.

And in Fort Bend County near Houston, voters elected Dr. Suleman Lalani to represent House District 76. The physician ran on a platform of improving health care and protecting the electric grid, among other issues.

Both men are immigrants, and Bhojani moved from Pakistan to the U.S. as a teenager.

First openly gay Black lawmakers

For the first time, Texas voters sent openly gay Black lawmakers to the Legislature.

During a special election in May, Texans voted in Rep. Jolanda Jones, who became the first openly gay Black member of the state legislature. She was elected to full term Tuesday and represents parts of Houston.

Two openly gay Black men, Venton Jones and Christian “Manuel” Hayes, also claimed victory in their races Tuesday night.

Jones will represent House District 100, which includes portions of Dallas near the city’s downtown. He ran on a platform of improving health equity and ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Hayes will represent House District 22, which is based in Beaumont. He ran on a platform of improving public education, expanding healthcare and fortifying the Texas coast to prepare for floods.