Tina Kotek and Maura Healey Elected as America's First Openly Lesbian Governors
Mathieu Lewis-Rolland/Getty, John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty
Democrats Maura Healey and Tina Kotek will make history as America's first openly lesbian governors, with Healey easily winning her Massachusetts race on election night and Kotek fending off a strong Republican challenger in Oregon.
Healey, currently the attorney general of Massachusetts, made history in more ways than one, also becoming the first woman to be elected governor in her state. Long considered the frontrunner, she faced Republican Geoff Diehl, a former state representative who was endorsed by Donald Trump.
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Mark Stockwell/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Maura Healey
Prior to Healey's victory in Massachusetts, she and her female running mate, Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll, spoke to reporters about the history-making race — which also flipped the governor's seat blue.
"Representation matters. Seeing is believing," Healey said, as reported by WBUR. "I've certainly felt the enthusiasm of a lot of little girls out there, and folks generally, who are seeing a different look."
Driscoll concurred, saying: "Somebody's got to be first. I'm glad it might be us."
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Sara Cline/AP/Shutterstock Tina Kotek
In Oregon, Kotek served as the state speaker of the House. She faced two other women in the race: Republican Christine Drazan and the unaffiliated Betsy Johnson.
Kotek previously made history as the first openly lesbian person to serve as a speaker of a state House in the United States. She is also the longest-serving House speaker in Oregon.
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After outlets began reporting Kotek's victory, the Oregonian said she was "honored and humbled" to serve her state. "I promise to be a Governor for all of Oregon," she wrote on Twitter. "And I'm ready to get to work and move Oregon forward."
Kotek will succeed Democratic Gov. Kate Brown, an openly bisexual woman whose favorability ratings have floundered in recent years. She will soon be tasked with restoring Democrats' reputation in the state — and using her platform to amplify LGBTQ+ visibility nationwide.
