Out gay man wins election to US Congress for Colorado
Jared Polis has become the first out gay man elected to the US Congress as a non-incumbent.
He won Colorado’s second Congressional District in the House of Representatives, beating Republican Scott Starin.
Mr Polis will become the sixth openly gay person to serve in the House of Representatives when he takes office in January.
Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat elected from Wisconsin in 1998, was the first out gay person to be elected to the House as a non-incumbent.
Fellow Democrat Barney Frank of Massachusetts announced he was gay in 1987 after having served several terms in the House.
Various representatives came out, such as the late Gerry Studds, a Democrat of Massachusetts, former Congressman Steve Gunderson, a Republican from Wisconsin, and former Congressman Jim Kolbe, a Republican from Arizona.
No openly gay or lesbian person has yet been elected to the US Senate.
There were other LGB winners last night.
Kate Brown became the first openly LGBT Secretary of State in America and the second-highest ranking elected official in the state of Oregon.
Brown is openly bisexual.
John Perez became the first openly gay person of colour elected to the California Assembly.
Lupe Valdez was reelected to a second term as sheriff of Dallas County, Texas. First elected in 2004, Valdez was the first woman, the first Latina and the first out lesbian ever to win the post.
On the night Barack Obama won the Presidency, the Democrats picked up seats in both Houses, which they already controlled.
It is thought they will pick up six seats in the Senate.
