Vermont primary: Christine Hallquist makes history as transgender candidate becomes Democrat governor nominee as Bernie Sanders is also victorious
The state boasts a number of unique — many of them progressive — candidates
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Your support makes all the difference.Christine Hallquist has become the first transgender candidate to win a major political party's nomination for governor.
As part of the primaries in Vermont, Ms Hallquist beat three other Democrats to secure the victory.
The 62-year-old Ms Hallquist is part of a wave of LGBTQ candidates seeking higher office across the US. Ms Hallquist is being supported by The Victory Fund, a political action committee that backs LGBTQ candidates across the country. The committed labelled her a “game changer.”
Before Vermont's election, only four transgender candidates had won primaries in 2018, all for house and senate seats in state legislatures, and have a general election ahead. Seventeen have lost primary or general elections and 21 have yet to face voters
Elsewhere, Bernie Sanders has won the Democratic Senate beating Folasade Adeluola as he seeks a third term in office.
With 98 per cent of precincts reporting, Mr Sanders had 94 per cent of the vote. It was not immediately clear which Republican he will face in the general election in November, given a close race between Brooke Paige and Lawrence Zupan that had just hundreds of votes in it.
Mr Sanders' win does not come as a surprise. The self-described Democratic Socialist won re-election in 2012 with about 71 per cent of the vote. Before that, in 2006, he carried about 65 per cent of the vote.
While Mr Sanders won the Democratic nomination, he is widely expected to reject it. Doing so has become a regular move for the notably independent senator over the years.
Phil Scott, the Republican governor in the reliably Democratic state, has won the GOP primary as he seeks re-election and will face Ms Hallquist.
Ethan Sonneborn is another candidate worth mentioning. He’s a 14-year-old progressive who decided to launch his campaign after violence erupted last year during a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, North Carolina. State law allows anyone who has lived in Vermont for four years to run for governor after securing enough signatures to get on the ballot, making Mr Sonneborn legally qualified despite his age. He secured more than 4,000 votes for an eight per cent share of the ballots.
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Vermont isn’t the only state that held a primary on Tuesday — Minnesota, Wisconsin and Connecticut also had elections to determine which candidates will face off come November.
Christine Hallquist is a Democratic candidate for governor in Vermont. If she wins, she’ll be the first transgender gubernatorial candidate from a major political party. She’s run on a platform of addressing local and state issues, from rural economic development to climate change, and has described her gender as just one of many defining traits.
Are you a voter in Connecticut? If so you can check where your local polling station is here.
Another race to watch in Minnesota is Tina Smith, a Democrat running for Senator. She was appointed by the Democratic Governor Dayton to replace Al Franken after the latter resigned over sexual harassment allegations and she’s running against Richard Painter, a former Bush aide.
“Ironstache” Randy Bryce, a populist ironworker and union organiser and Cathy Myers, a school board member and teacher — are in a bitter battle in Wisconsin to clinch the chance to win House Speaker Paul Ryan’s seat in Congress.
Bernie Sanders will likely run as an independent in the Vermont 2018 midterm elections. He’s expected to reject the Democratic Party’s nomination if he wins it — despite fundraising and campaigning for Democratic candidates nationwide.
The Republicans battling in Wisconsin are an interesting group; Bryan Steil, a well-known local business executive with Paul Ryan’s endorsement, is the favourite to win the Republican nomination. Also on the ballot is self-described “pro-White Christian American candidate” and alt-right troll Paul Nehlen; Nick Polce, an Army Green Beret and first-time candidate; Jeremy Ryan, a pro-marijuana candidate whose campaign website features him taking bong rips; and Kevin Steen, a Christian business leader who has been endorsed by Pro-Life Wisconsin.
James Ehlers is an environmental activist and Navy veteran running for the Democratic nomination for governor in Vermont. He’s proposed a “people first economy” which would focus on issues including the lack of a livable wage, affordable health care access and the environment.
In Congress, Republicans in Connecticut will choose between business owner Matthew Corey and Dominic Rapini as their candidate to challenge Democratic Senator Chris Murphy.
In western Connecticut's 5th congressional district, where Democrat Representative Elizabeth Esty is not seeking re-election to the House, Mary Glassman and Wolcott teacher Jahana Hayes are vying for the Democratic nomination. Former Meriden Mayor Manny Santos, retired university professor Ruby O'Neill of Southbury and Watertown manufacturing consultant Rich Dupont are seeking the Republican nomination.
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