Democrats, diversity big election wins

Tuesday night's election returns made it a great night for Democrats.  New DNC chair Tom Perex had promised to recruit and support good candidates up and down the ticket, instead of just seeing it's mission as electing a president every four years.   It seems he went a long way toward fulfilling that promise -- with diversity proving to be a popular secondary theme.

Most significant were the statewide races in Virginia, where Democrats won for governor, lieutenant governor, and attorney general.   In addition, they won a slew of delegates in the House that might still flip control to the Democrats, depending on recounts in some close races -- which even the most optimistic predictors did not think was possible.

In Georgia, Democrats picked up three open seats that had previously been held by Republicans in the state senate.   But the real gratifying story is the diversity among the winning Democrats in office down ticket.

As mentioned in yesterday's post, trans woman Danica Roem was one of those winners that flipped a Virginia House seat, ousting the Republican who proudly called himself the "Homophobe in Chief."   Another trans woman, Andrea Jenkins won a seat on the Minneapolis city council.   A trans man won a seat on the Erie, PA school board, becoming the first trsns person ever elected in Pennsylvania.

African-American Democrats won spots as Lt. Governor in Virginia and in New Jersey, as well as Mayor of Charlotte and of Framington, MA.   A white woman became the first female mayor of New Hampshire's largest city, while Seattle just elected its first lesbian mayor, only the second woman mayor in their history.   St. Paul, Minnesota chose its first African-American man as mayor.

Two Latina women and a Vietnamese woman also became firsts of their ethnic backgrounds in the Virginia House of Delegates, each one defeating a Republican.  Hoboken, NJ elected its first Sikh-American as mayor;  Helena, Montana elected as mayor a former refugee from Liberia.

Three small towns in Georgia -- Statesboro, Cairo, and Milledgeville -- all elected African-Americans as their mayors.

As the Bob Dylan song says:  "The times, they are a-changing.

Ralph

PS:  Late Update:  The Washington Post reported last night that, all across the country, it was women who racked up the victories for Democrats, often newcomers to politics unseating Republican men incumbents.   The Virginia House of Delegates jumped overnight from 17 women (of 100 members) to 30 or more, depending on some recounts.   In 2018, reports are that 40 women are already planning to run for governor.  "This is huge," said Stephanie Schriock, president of Emily's List, the political group that backs women Democratic candidates.