Six States Elect First Transgender Public Officials

Six states recorded the election of transgender candidates to public office for the first time during the midterm elections. Projections from NBC, CNN, and CBS confirmed victories in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Michigan, Washington, and Wisconsin. These results mark a shift in representation across a wide range of political regions.

Bentley Hudgins, a nonbinary Democrat, secured the District 90 seat in the Georgia House of Representatives. Hudgins defeated Republican Samantha Boston with 92.5 percent of the vote. This win makes Hudgins the first person of Japanese descent in the Georgia legislature. The candidate has identified as a human rights leader and cites stopping attacks by President Donald Trump and the Republican Party on Georgia residents as a top priority.

In Alabama, Democrat Allison Montgomery won the District 25 seat by defeating Republican Phillip Rigsby. This result was one of three flips in the northern part of the state, which turned blue in the legislative races. During the campaign, Scott Stadthagen, the president of the Alabama Republican Party, referred to Montgomery and another transgender Democratic candidate as men with mental disorders.

Quinnie Pérez, who is of Mexican descent, became the first elected transgender official in Florida. Pérez won a seat on the District 1 Soil and Water Conservation Board in Orange County. The campaign focused on supporting agricultural workers and protecting local biodiversity.

Legislative races in Michigan, Washington, and Wisconsin produced the first transgender members of their respective state assemblies. Joanna Whaley, a hospital chaplain, was elected to the Michigan state legislature. Whaley described herself before the election as a survivor of years of conversion therapy. Jaelynn Scott won a seat in the Washington legislature, becoming the first Black transgender state legislator in the United States. Dina Nina Martínez-Rutherford also won a state contest in Wisconsin.

The victories in Florida, Georgia, and Alabama drew particular attention because they occurred in the Deep South, a region historically associated with conservative voting patterns. The other three states saw wins in primary legislative positions, adding to the milestone of gender diversity in those specific chambers.