Democrat Jared Polis makes history as America's first elected openly gay governor after winning Colorado race
Democrat Jared Polis has made history after he became America's first openly gay governor.
Polis, who has served in the House of Representatives since 2009, won the gubernatorial Colorado race on Tuesday.
The five-term congressman, 43, who defeated Republican Walker Stapleton, was open about his sexual orientation during the campaign, often referring to it in his criticism of President Donald Trump.
Kate Brown became the first bisexual governor when she was elected in Oregon in 2015, while another governor, Jim McGreevey of New Jersey, came out as gay before resigning in 2004. But Polis is the first openly gay candidate to be elected governor.
He will succeed Democrat John Hickenlooper, who has been in office since 2011.
The Democratic victory in the House will usher in a wave of more diverse and progressive representatives including Polis, the first two Muslim women in Congress, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Illhan Omar of Minnesota; and Sharice David of Kansas, the first Native American woman in Congress.
A self-made millionaire and tech entrepreneur, Polis was admitted to Princeton at age 16 and has said that he set his sights on becoming governor when he was in college.
Polis, who is Jewish, switched his name from Jared Schultz to Jared Polis at age 25 to honor his grandmother, he has said.
The liberal Polis, a five-term congressman, easily defeated three challengers in the top race of the purple state's midterm primary.
Colorado's last Republican governor was Bill Owens, who served from 1999 to 2007. Centrist Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper is term-limited.
Polis, a tech entrepreneur and one of the wealthiest members of Congress, advocates single-payer health care, local control over Colorado's $31 billion oil and gas industry and lofty renewable energy goals for the state.
He invested $12 million in his campaign and is a fierce critic of the Trump administration's immigration policies and efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act.
He defeated Walker Stapleton, a distant relative of President George W. Bush, who closely wedded himself to Trump on virtually every issue - even refusing to condemn the Trump administration's immigrant family separation policies - except trade, where he opposes tariffs that could produce a trade war and harm Colorado industries.
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- 12:37 • 03.04.21 Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh in Despair After Trauma of Military Defeat - France 24
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- 12:16 • 23.10.20 Artsakh Defense Army Neutralizes Azerbaijani Military Hardware
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- 10:35 • 22.10.20 President Armen Sarkissian Meets with NATO Secretary-General in Brussels
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- 14:11 • 09.10.20 Turkey openly backs Azerbaijan 'far more aggressively than in the past' - ABC News on Syrian mercenaries fighting in Karabakh
- 15:52 • 08.10.20 Iconic Armenian Church Hit in Azerbaijani Attacks in Nagorno-Karabakh City (photos)
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