Jared Polis, the Democratic candidate for Colorado governor’s race, became the first openly gay person to be elected to that office in the country.
The election of Polis, a US congressman who represents liberal Boulder, appears to be a sign that the purplish state is turning a bluer hue. Though Colorado’s past two governors have been Democratic, they were far more centrist than Polis, who ran on a progressive platform. He advocated for universal health care and achieving a 100% goal of renewable energy by 2040.
Meanwhile, his opponent, Republican treasurer Walker Stapleton, aligned himself to Donald Trump. He backed Trump’s tax cuts and called for retaliating against jurisdictions with sanctuary policies for immigrants.
There has been a gay governor: New Jersey governor Jim McGreevey is gay, but he came out after he had been elected. Oregon governor Kate Brown, who identifies as bisexual, was the first member of the LGBTQ community to be elected to that post.
Almost two-third of voters across the country saw their vote as a referendum on the president, according to an AP poll. By electing Polis, the majority of Colorado voters appear to have given Trump a thumbs-down.