Democrats in the US are celebrating huge successes over Donald Trump after Americans headed to the polls for the first statewide elections since the president came to power in January.
Not only did the party gain key legislative seats, the two governorships and full control of the state governments in New Jersey and Washington, but there was a historic surge for LGBT and BAME candidates.
The night was validation for the many activists around the country who joined the resistance after Trump’s win and have been feverishly working at the grassroots to mobilise the party’s base.
Maria Urbina, director of the progressive Indivisible movement, said the victories make it clear that a “newly awakened grassroots movement is rising up to reject Trump’s politics of hate and reclaim political power”.
Since Trump was inaugurated, he has made significant attempts to ban transgender service personnel from the military and to limit the number of immigrants allowed into the US with his so-called “Muslim ban”.
Here, HuffPost lists the most momentous wins from Tuesday’s elections.
Virginia elected its first openly transgender state lawmaker on Tuesday, voting Democrat Danica Roem into the state’s House of Delegates. She unseated Virginia Delegate Bob Marshall, the Republican who introduced the “bathroom bill” that would have prohibited transgender students from using the bathroom of their choice.
“No matter what you look like, where you come from, how you worship, who you love, how you identify or any other inherent identifier that you have, you should be celebrated because of who you are, not despite it,” Roem said on MSNBC’s “The Last Word”.
Transgender activist Andrea Jenkins was elected to the Minneapolis City Council, becoming the first openly transgender African-American woman elected to the city council of a major US city.
According to The Advocate, Jenkins will be the first openly transgender person of colour elected to office in the United States.
Democrat Justin Fairfax was elected to become Virginia’s next lieutenant governor. With his victory, the former federal prosecutor will be the second African-American to win statewide in Virginia.
“I am so grateful for this opportunity,” Fairfax said during a statewide victory party, according to WJLA-TV. “We are changing the course of history in this commonwealth.”
New Jersey elected Sheila Oliver as its first female African-American lieutenant governor. Oliver is no stranger to breaking records: She became the first African-American woman to be elected as Assembly speaker in New Jersey and only the second black female speaker in US history.
“This may not be the first glass ceiling I have broken, but it is certainly the highest,” Oliver said during Democrat Phil Murphy’s victory party. “And I hope somewhere in this great state of New Jersey, a young girl of color is watching tonight and realising that she does not have a limit to how high she can go.”
Vi Lyles was elected as Charlotte, North Carolina’s first female African-American mayor, defeating Republican candidate Kenny Smith.
“With this opportunity you’ve given me, you’ve proven that we are a city of opportunity and inclusiveness,” Lyles told a crowd of supporters, according to the Charlotte Observer. “You’ve proven that a woman whose father didn’t graduate from high school can become this city’s first female African-American mayor.”
Yvonne Spicer was elected the first mayor of the city of Framingham, Massachusetts. Framingham residents recently voted to become a city, relinquishing its status as “the largest town in America”. This vote altered the way the government will be run: with a mayor and a city council.
The largest city in New Hampshire just elected its first woman as mayor. Joyce Craig will be the first woman in the Manchester’s 266-year history to serve as mayor, unseating the Republican incumbent, Ted Gatsas.
“As the first woman to ever serve as mayor of Manchester, Joyce will lead the city she loves with the same vision and energy that she’s brought to her previous decade of public service,” Democratic National Committee Chair Tom Perez told the New Hampshire Union Leader in a statement.
Tyler Titus won a seat on the Erie School Board, becoming the first openly transgender person to ever be elected in the state of Pennsylvania.
“Tyler Titus shattered a lavender ceiling in Pennsylvania today ― and his victory will resonate well beyond state boundaries,” Victory Fund President & CEO Aisha C. Moodie-Mills told HuffPost in a statement.
“Trans people remain severely underrepresented in our politics and government, and now more than ever we need trans voices like Tyler’s in the halls of power.”
Hoboken, New Jersey, elected Ravinder Bhalla as its mayor Tuesday night, which will make Bhalla the first Sikh American to be elected mayor of the city.
Last week, Bhalla was the target of racist flyers that showed a picture of him along with the words “Don’t let terrorism take over our town!” plastered above him.
Elizabeth Guzman and Hala Ayala defeated Republican incumbents to become the first two Latinas elected to the Virginia House of Delegates.
Wilmot Collins arrived in Helena, Montana, 23 years ago as a refugee from Liberia.
“The country is still not what Mr. Trump wants it to be,” Collins told HuffPost.
“The citizens of this state and this city where I have lived for the past 23 years have spoken and they are saying we want the best candidate. They’re not looking at colour, at background and creed.”
Jenny Durkan will become Seattle’s first lesbian mayor. She will also be the Emerald City’s first woman mayor since 1928. Bertha Knight Landes was the first female mayor of Seattle, and of a major US city, in 1926.
Voters in St. Paul, Minnesota made history by electing Melvin Carter as the city’s first African-American mayor.
Kathy Tran came to the U.S. as a refugee from Vietnam when she was an infant. Tonight, she became the first Asian American woman elected to the Virginia House of Delegates. Congrats ! — Women’s March (@womensmarch)
Kathy Tran, a former Vietnamese refugee, became the first Asian-American woman to join Virginia’s House of Delegates, representing the state’s 42nd district. She will replace David Albo, a Republican who served for 24 years but didn’t run for re-election.
Janet Diaz will become the first Latina member of Lancaster, Pennsylvania’s city council.
Jonathan McCollar will become the first African-American mayor of Statesboro, Georgia, defeating incumbent Jan Moore.
Brendon Barber, a Georgetown, S.C. city councilman since 1998, will become the city’s first ever African-American mayor.
The Georgetown native said his knowledge of the city and its municipal employees makes him well-positioned for the job.
Mary Parham Copelan will become Midgeville, Ga.’s first female African-American mayor, beating incumbent Gary Thrower by just six votes.
“I along with each one of you know that we needed real change and real progress for our city,” she wrote on Facebook following her victory.
Maine residents approved a ballot initiative Tuesday to expand Medicaid coverage under Obamacare to about 70,000 more people across the state. It’s the first time Americans voted on the issue through a referendum. It also represents a setback to Republican Governor Paul LePage, who vetoed several previous legislative attempts at an expansion.