With the anticipation of the Presidential Election in 2024, and tensions within the country rising, Americans were eager to have their voices heard in the midterm elections. For many, the events within the last couple of years have emphasized the importance of voting not only for presidential leadership but also for state and district representatives. This was a particularly exciting election for me, as it was the first time I could vote after being a few months too young to vote in 2020. This year’s midterm elections maintained the high participation rate from 2018 and many candidates made history with their wins. The 2022 midterm elections have seen many “firsts” for various marginalized groups. It is anticipated that when Congress opens, it will likely be one of the most diverse in years.
First openly lesbian Governor
The first openly lesbian governor in U.S. history is Massachusetts’ Maura Healy. Maura Healy previously made history in her career when she became the first openly gay attorney general in 2014. While attorney general, Healy fought for LGBTQ+ nondiscrimination acts, affordable child care, and abortion rights. Almost immediately after her election this month she made a plan to improve the MBTA system, promote affordable healthcare and housing, and created a tax relief credit for families. As someone from Massachusetts, I’ve seen how expensive housing and cost of living have become and the flaws of our transportation system firsthand. In addition to this plan, she hopes to use her position to advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. Examples of changes she hopes to bring are making same-sex adoption easier, banning LGBTQ+ panic defense (defendant saying they killed someone out of shock of their orientation), and promoting LGBTQ+ friendly sex education in schools.
To every little girl and LGBTQ kid out there—I hope tonight shows you can be whomever you want to be.
Maura Healy, Time
First gen z congress member
After the election in 2020 between Biden and Trump and the overturning of Roe v. Wade, many have spoken out about the lack of young people in government. Our current and past presidents were the oldest and third oldest presidents respectively, and before this election, we had one of the highest median ages of Congress. As more members of Gen Z, like myself, had their first opportunity to vote, the first Gen Z congress member was elected. Maxwell Frost is 25 years old and won in Florida’s 10th congressional district (Central Florida). Despite his age, Frost is not new to politics. He previously was the national organizing director for March for Our Lives. He began devoting his time to gun violence prevention after the Sandy Hook shooting and is a survivor of an incident of gun violence himself. Frost has many plans on how to decrease gun violence including banning high-capacity magazines, requiring background checks, and creating violence intervention programs.
Maryland’s first black governor
Wes Moore became the first Black Governor of Maryland, and the third Black governor elected in U.S. history. Before running for office, Moore had a long list of achievements as he is a former U.S. Army captain, Rhodes scholar, and CEO of a foundation that aids those in New York City living in poverty. The main focus of his campaign and policies is poverty and crime specifically in cities. Using his experience from the foundation he ran, he has created a plan to prevent violence and improve public safety. Moore wants to focus on the root of crime by improving support for those living in poverty, preventing the distribution of illegal firearms, and reforming Maryland’s parole and probation systems. He wants to address the economics that drive crime in Maryland because he believes that if the root of the problem is not solved, the cycle will only continue.
I know that if we aren’t dealing with the systems that continue to allow people to fall between the cracks, we will just find ourselves repeatedly cleaning up the debris that comes from broken systems.
Wes Moore, CBS News
First Transgender Man elected to state legislature
James Roesener from New Hampshire’s 22nd district is the first transgender man elected to state legislature in the U.S. Just like Frost, he is much younger than many others in politics, being only 26. Some of the policies Roesener supports are nondiscrimination laws in health care, affordable housing, raising the state minimum wage, and legalizing marijuana. When it comes to healthcare, he is specifically focused on abortion and gender-affirming care access. James Roesener said that watching the increasingly scary debates and being aware of current laws about transgender people’s rights encouraged him to run for office. He hopes that his win encourages more transgender people to enter politics.
This year’s midterm elections had many more historical wins than those that I mentioned. All of these history-making winners are hoping to represent the marginalized groups they are a part of, and for many, their policies connect to the experience they have had because of their identity. The victories we have seen from the election so far have come at an important time for our country, as many people’s rights have been threatened within the last year. Just in this election, the number of LGBTQ+ candidates increased by 18% from 2020. Many candidates said they were influenced to run as a result of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. Although there is still a long way to go when it comes to representation, many citizens and potential candidates were moved off the sidelines and participated in this year’s election.