Democrats have swept the US midterms, winning control of both the Senate and the House. Voters had their say at the polls on Tuesday, November 3, delivering historic firsts for a number of candidates alongside landmark LGBTQ+ victories.
The so-called ‘blue wave’ drowned Republicans, with Democrats flipping seven Senate seats and over two dozen House seats, and achieving an expansion of governors elected from the party. A number of states and districts that sided with Donald Trump two years ago turned their backs on the US President this time around, including South Carolina, Kansas, Texas, Iowa, and Ohio.
There was also a rainbow wave at this year’s US midterms, with a number of LGBTQ+ candidates topping the polls.
US Senate
Chris Pappas has made history as the first out gay man elected to the Senate. New Hampshire voters overwhelmingly sided with the Democrat over the Republican former Senator John Sununu.
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US House
Michigan elected its first-ever out LGBTQ+ member to the House of Representatives in Jeremy Moss. Similarly, former lawmaker Janelle Sarauw made history as the US Virgin Islands’ first out LGBTQ+ Delegate to the House with a landslide vote.
There were also several reelections:
Sharice Davids of Kansas was reelected. She previously made history as the state’s first out LGBTQ+ person in Congress and one of the first two Native American women elected to the US House.
Elsewhere, Ritchie Torres of New York, who was the first out gay Afro-Latino member of Congress, won a fourth term. Similarly, Emily Randall, who was the first LGBTQ+ Latina in Congress, was reelected in Washington State.
Illinois’ first out LGBTQ+ person elected to Congress, Eric Sorenson, has won a third term. Mark Pocan, one of the longest-serving out LGBTQ+ House Representatives, extends his service on behalf of Wisconsin.
Mark Takano from California, who serves as the Congressional Equality Caucus Co-Chair, won reelection. In 2012, he was the first out gay person of colour to be elected to the House. Fellow gay Californian Democrat Robert Garcia also won reelection to the House this year.
Takano’s Congressional Equality Caucus Co-Chair Becca Balint also successfully defended her seat to represent Vermont.
Trans Congressperson Sarah McBride was also reelected in Delaware.
In California and Arizona respectively, bisexual San Diego City Councilmember Marni von Wilpert and LGBTQ+ Marine veteran JoAnna Mendoza are projected to win Congressional spots. Both victories would flip the seats from red to blue.
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Governors
In Massachusetts, Irish-American Democratic Governor Maura Healy won a second term, defeating Republican Mike Mongue. In 2022, she made history as the first out lesbian US Governor.
Similarly, Oregon’s first lesbian governor Tina Koten secured reelection.
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Regional Victories
Trans candidates Leigh Finke and Zooey Zephyr were reelected to the Minnesota House and Montana House, respectively. Non-binary representative DeShanna Neal similarly secured their seat in the Delaware House.
Also in Delaware, out lesbian candidate Claire Snyder-Hall won a second term representing the coastal communities around Rehoboth Beach. Lesbian lawmaker Ann Johnson won a fourth term in the Texas House, while Malcolm Kenyatta was reelected to Pennsylvania’s House.
Furthermore, bisexual Democrat Amanda Gonzalez will be Colorado’s next Secretary of State, and Bentley Hudgins has become the first out transgender and non-binary lawmaker in the Georgia Assembly.
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The Democrats’ sweep at the US midterms means that the party will have more power to pass laws and approve government spending. In the Senate, they will also be able to reject Trump’s nominees for cabinet positions, ambassador posts and judicial appointments, including to the Supreme Court. In the House, Democrats will be able to launch investigations into the Trump administration and to impeach federal officials.
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