US midterms see a number of historic victories across the country – National

A number of candidates in the U.S. midterm elections made history by winning their races on Tuesday, as voters chose younger and more diverse officials for the election.

Here’s a look at some of the historic premieres across the country.

Democratic Attorney General Maura Healey was elected governor of Massachusetts, making history as the nation’s first openly lesbian governor.

Healey, the state’s first woman and openly gay candidate elected to office, defeated Republican Geoff Diehl, a former state representative who had the endorsement of former President Donald Trump.

His election returns the governorship to the Democrats after eight years of Republican leadership under popular Gov. Charlie Baker, who chose not to seek re-election.

« To those who voted for me and to those who didn’t, I want you to know that I will be a governor for everyone and will work with anyone who is willing to make a difference in this state. « Healey said.

Healey also addressed the historic nature of his win.

“Tonight I want to say something to every little girl and young LGBTQ person. I hope tonight shows you that you can be anything, whoever you want to be and that nothing and no one can ever get in your way except your own imagination and that won’t happen. Healey said.

“I stand before you tonight proud to be the first woman and first gay person ever elected governor of Massachusetts,” she added.

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Democrat Maxwell Alejandro Frost has become the first Gen Z to win a congressional seat, taking over a reliable blue seat in Florida.

Frost, a 25-year-old gun reform and social justice activist, was able to win hands down in a very blue Orlando-area district abandoned by Democratic Rep. Val Demings, who lost her seat. challenge against Senator Marco Rubio.

Frost is a former March For Our Lives organizer seeking tougher gun control laws and has highlighted opposition to restrictions on abortion rights.

« WE WON!!!! History was made tonight. We made history for Floridians, for Gen Z and for everyone who believes we deserve a better future. I’m beyond grateful to have the opportunity to represent my House in the United States Congress, » Frost tweeted.

Gen Z generally refers to people born between the late 1990s and early 2010s.

To become a member of Congress, candidates must be at least 25 years old. But Frost will be in the minority in the House, where the average age of members was 58 at the last Congress.

Democrat Wes Moore was elected Maryland’s first black governor on Tuesday, beating Republican Dan Cox in a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-1.

Moore’s victory moves the governorship from Republican to Democrat.

Only two other black politicians have been elected governors in the United States: Douglas Wilder of Virginia in 1989 and Deval Patrick of Massachusetts in 2006.

“When I was an army captain and led soldiers into combat in Afghanistan, we lived by one simple principle: leave no one behind. True patriotism means bringing people together,” Moore told a crowd gathered in downtown Baltimore during his victory speech. « It means uplifting each other and improving each other’s lives. »

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Moore, a 44-year-old veteran and former CEO of one of the nation’s largest anti-poverty organizations, defeated a first-time state lawmaker who was endorsed by Trump.

Republican Gov. Larry Hogan, a prominent Trump critic who was encouraged to run for the party’s presidential nomination as a more moderate alternative, was given a time limit, leaving the seat open.

Moore’s running mate, Aruna Miller, also made Maryland history by becoming the first immigrant to win the office of lieutenant governor. Miller, who immigrated from India, is also the first Asian American elected statewide.

U.S. Representative Anthony Brown also made Maryland history by becoming the state’s first black attorney general. Brown defeated Republican Michael Peroutka, a former Anne Arundel County council member.

Democrat Becca Balint won the race for Vermont’s only U.S. House seat on Tuesday, becoming the first woman and openly LGBTQ person to represent the state in Congress.

Balint, president of the Vermont state Senate and a former middle school teacher, defeated the party’s other major candidate, Liam Madden, an independent who won the Republican primary. Three independents and a libertarian candidate were also in the race.

« Tonight we reaffirmed that Vermont and the nation is still a place where anything is possible. We are all so capable of change, promise and progress, and tonight, after 231 years, Vermonters are sending a woman to Congress,” Balint said to cheers during a speech in Burlington Tuesday night.

Until Tuesday, Vermont was the only state in the country to never send a woman to Congress, despite being considered one of the most liberal states in the country. The state legislature also has a higher than average percentage of female members.

— with files from the Associated Press

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