Seven transgender or nonbinary Democrats won state legislative elections Tuesday, including historic firsts in Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, Washington and Wisconsin, while Delaware Rep. Sarah McBride secured another term in Congress.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
WASHINGTON — Eight transgender or nonbinary Democratic candidates won congressional and state legislative races in the Nov. 3 midterm elections, securing victories across eight states as Democrats made substantial gains nationwide.
The winners included seven state lawmakers in Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Washington and Wisconsin, along with Rep. Sarah McBride, D-Del., who won reelection to the U.S. House of Representatives.
The results included several historic firsts, with Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, Washington and Wisconsin electing lawmakers who will expand transgender and nonbinary representation in their state legislatures.
According to election reporting published by Breitbart News, the eight winners were Allison Montgomery, McBride, Jaelynn Scott, Joanna Whaley, Bentley Hudgins, Zooey Zephyr, Leigh Finke and Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford.
In Alabama, Montgomery defeated Republican incumbent Phillip Rigsby in House District 25, receiving approximately 53.2% of the vote compared with Rigsby’s 46.7%, according to preliminary election returns.
The victory made Montgomery, a software engineer, the first openly transgender person elected to the Alabama Legislature.
Montgomery campaigned on health care affordability, workers’ rights and reducing grocery taxes, defeating an incumbent in a district that had previously supported President Donald Trump.
Georgia voters elected Bentley Hudgins to represent House District 90 in the Atlanta area. Hudgins, who identifies as nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns, became the first openly transgender or nonbinary member elected to the Georgia General Assembly.
Hudgins previously served as Georgia state director for the Human Rights Campaign and campaigned on housing affordability, health care and economic issues.
In Michigan, Joanna Whaley defeated Republican Ron Kokinda in House District 2, receiving approximately 63% of the vote.
Whaley, a hospital chaplain and former evangelical pastor, became the first openly transgender woman elected to the Michigan Legislature. Her district includes Allen Park, Lincoln Park, Melvindale and part of Southgate.
Her victory followed a contested Democratic primary in which a former state lawmaker unsuccessfully challenged her ballot eligibility over the name used in her campaign filings.
Washington state also elected its first openly transgender legislator.
Jaelynn Scott won House District 37 in southeast Seattle, receiving approximately 88% of the vote. Scott is executive director of the Lavender Rights Project, an organization focused on civil rights and legal support for transgender communities.
Her election also made her the first openly Black transgender woman elected to a state legislature in the United States, according to Pride Source’s Nov. 5 coverage of the election results.
In Wisconsin, Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford won Assembly District 76 in Madison with more than 90% of the vote, becoming the state’s first openly transgender legislator.
Martinez-Rutherford previously made state political history in 2023 when she became the first transgender woman elected to the Madison Common Council.
Three other transgender or nonbinary Democratic lawmakers retained their seats.
Montana Rep. Zooey Zephyr won another term representing House District 95 in the Missoula area after running unopposed.
Zephyr first attracted national attention in 2023 when Republican legislative leaders barred her from participating in House floor proceedings following a dispute over legislation restricting gender-related medical treatment for minors.
Minnesota Rep. Leigh Finke also secured reelection, winning approximately 85.5% of the vote. Finke, who became Minnesota’s first openly transgender state legislator in 2022, has supported legislation protecting access to gender-related medical care and expanding civil rights protections.
At the federal level, McBride won another term representing Delaware’s at-large congressional district.
McBride became the first openly transgender person elected to Congress in 2024. Her reelection allows her to continue serving in the House during the 120th Congress, which convenes in January 2027.
The eight legislative victories represent only part of the transgender and nonbinary electoral successes recorded Tuesday.
According to LGBTQ Nation’s election roundup, additional winners included Kansas state Rep. Abi Boatman and Delaware state Rep. DeShanna Neal, who won reelection, as well as Quinnie Perez, who secured a position on Florida’s Orange County Soil and Water Conservation District board.
The broader results indicate that at least 11 openly transgender or nonbinary candidates won elections across different levels of government, although the total depends on which offices and races are included.
Their victories occurred during an election cycle in which gender identity, school sports eligibility and medical treatment for transgender minors remained prominent political issues.
Republican lawmakers in several states have supported restrictions on transgender participation in female school sports and certain medical treatments for minors, while Democratic lawmakers have generally opposed those measures as discriminatory.
Voters also decided several ballot measures addressing those issues.
Washington voters approved Initiative 638, restricting transgender girls’ participation in girls’ school sports, while Arizona and Nebraska voters supported additional sports eligibility restrictions.
Those results demonstrated that transgender and nonbinary candidates could win legislative offices even as voters in some states supported policies opposed by transgender rights organizations.
The election also produced substantial Democratic gains nationally, giving the party control of Congress and additional state legislative chambers.
The newly elected lawmakers will enter office as state and federal governments continue debating gender-related medical policies, school sports participation, anti-discrimination protections and the scope of federal civil rights enforcement.
Tuesday’s results expanded transgender and nonbinary representation in elected government, with several states preparing to seat their first openly transgender legislators when new legislative sessions begin in January.
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