Gay Candidates Do Well In Local Races

Gay Candidates Do Well In Local Races
by Mary Ellen Peterson 365Gay.com San Francisco Bureau

Posted: November 3, 2004 5:01 pm ET

(San Francisco, California) Despite losses on the national scene Tuesday the election news was not all bad, especially for gay candidates running at the state and local level.

Three candidates became the first gay politicians to serve in their state legislatures. Julia Boseman was elected to the North Carolina State Senate, Nicole LeFavour becomes the first lesbian to serve in the Idaho State House, and Jeanette Mott Oxford becomes the first out lesbian elected to the Missouri State House.

In Oregon, Rives Kistler was elected to the Oregon State Supreme Court becoming the first openly gay statewide elected in Oregon, and only one of two current statewide nationally.

Ed Flanagan becomes the first openly gay man to join the Vermont State Senate.

In California, all 6 of the LGBT candidates running for statewide office were elected by substantial margins.

Christine Kehoe, Sheila Kuehl, and Carole Migden all won election to the California Senate. Returning to the Assembly are Mark Leno, John Laird and Jackie Goldberg.

In Colorado, Jennifer Veiga was reelected to the state Senate.

Sam Adams becomes the first ever openly gay Portland, Oregon council member and Lupe Valdez was elected the first ever Latina lesbian sheriff in Dallas, County, Texas.

Valdez, 57, defeated Republican Danny Chandler, who had been expected to win. She is an accomplished officer with U.S. Customs and other federal agencies and also has served as a captain in the U.S. Army Reserves.

Amanda Simpson, a transsexual who was running for a seat in the Arizona legislature, however, was defeated. Simpson was unopposed in the Democratic primary last month and became the first TG to win a major party endorsement in the US.

Another transsexual candidate, Robert Haaland, who ran for Supervisor in San Francisco, appears headed for a runoff.

©365Gay.com 2004