Let’s be honest, election night was not a great time for most people. The well-being of so many marginalized groups hangs in the balance. Millions of women, BIPOC folks, members of the LGBTQ+ community, immigrants, and more are all waiting to see if there is hope for the next 4 years. But we were not just voting for a president on Tuesday, millions of Americans cast their votes for their local, state, and US representatives, and there were some amazing wins that came out of those races.
- Ritchie Torres
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Ritchie Torres is the Congressman-Elect of New York’s 15th district, which exists entirely within the Bronx. He will be the first out gay, Afro-Latino congressperson in history. Torres is no stranger to being the first. At 25 years old, he became the youngest elected official in NYC, representing the Bronx on the New York City Council, and he was also the first openly gay elected official from the Bronx. He has lived in the Bronx his whole life. He was raised by a single mother and spent his childhood in a housing project. He was inspired to start a career in politics after he saw his city spend $100 million dollars on a golf course for Donald Trump instead of on improving living conditions for people like him and his family. His campaign promise was to represent the Bronx in Washington, DC, and to give his constituents the resources they need to live a decent life.
- Kaiali’i Kahele
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Kaiali’i Kahele is the Congressman-Elect of Hawai’i’s 2nd district, which includes parts of Oahu and Honolulu, as well as Kauai, Maui, Kalawao, and the Big Island. Kahele is only the second Native Hawaiian to represent Hawaii in Congress and is 1 of a record 6 Indigenous people serving in the 117th Congress. He has served Hawai’i as a state senator since 2016, where he is also the Majority Floor Leader and Chairman of the Water and Land Committee. He is a Hawai’i Air National Guard and US Air Force. His goals are to provide the people of Hawai’i with a livable wage, to combat climate change, and to ensure rights, programs, and funding streams that benefit Native Hawaiians. He is a vocal supporter of the Green New Deal and Medicare for All.
- Sarah McBride
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Sarah McBride is the Senator-Elect of Delaware’s 1st Senate district. McBride is the first out transgender state senator in the United States. She has always been involved in public service, working for established political figures including Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden, Governor Jack Markell, and former President Barack Obama. She gained international media attention after coming out as transgender in her school newspaper. In 2013, she served on the board of directors of Equality Delaware, where she championed legislation that protected the people of Delaware from discrimination based on gender expression and identity. In 2016 she became the first openly transgender person to speak at the Democratic National Convention, where she gave a speech about her late husband and his advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community. Now, as a state senator, Sarah McBride plans to focus on healthcare and paid family and medical leave.