The off-year election held on November 7, 2017 represented a significant shift in our current political climate. It marked a noteworthy win for Democrats, women, minority and LGBT candidates across the country. Congratulations to our newly elected government officials!
Learn more about the people slated to represent us: where they began their careers, what boards and committees they sit on, the source of their donations, their own political and nonprofit donations, and who they’re connected to.
Some noteworthy individuals include:
Danica Roem
The first openly transgender person elected to state office; Virginia House of Delegates. Roem became the first openly transgender elected official after receiving more votes than the incumbent Bob Marshall. In January 2017, Marshall made headlines for introducing the Physical Privacy Act, a bill colloquially termed the “bathroom bill” and condemned by critics as transphobic.
Ravinder Bhalla
The first Sikh mayor of Hoboken, New Jersey. Bhalla won despite racist flyers being sent out days before the election.
Kathy Tran
The first Asian-American woman and first Vietnamese American elected to the Virginia House of Delegates.
Elizabeth Guzmán
One of the first two Hispanic women elected to the Virginia House of Delegates.
Hala Ayala
One of the first two Hispanic women elected to the Virginia House of Delegates.
Justin Fairfax
Virginia’s Lieutenant Governor-elect, second African-American to hold a state-wide office in Virginia.
Phil Murphy
New Jersey Governor; a Democratic win succeeding eight years of Republican leadership.
Ralph Northam
Virginia Governor-elect; widest Democratic victory in Virginia governor’s race since 1985.
With just over a month left in 2017, more and more public figures are entering the spotlight, and the public is closely monitoring their behavior. We close the year with allegations circling Roy Moore and the prospect of Alabama Democrats winning a Senate race for the first time since 1992, the former Democratic National Committee Chair Donna Brazile outing a deal between the DNC and the Clinton campaign, and speculation around Joe Biden as the 2020 Democratic presidential candidate.
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