While many eyes were on the race between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris during the 2024 presidential election, quite a few other races were occurring throughout the country for congressional, state, and local offices where trans and nonbinary people won.
According to data from the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, the proportion of transgender, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming candidates for political office increased by nearly half since 2020, up to 15.2%. This election saw not only the election of new transgender candidates but the reelection of ones currently in office as well.
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The following is a list of candidates, as well as a trans-inclusive ballot measure, that won on Election Night.
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Sarah McBride – U.S. House of Representatives (Delaware)
Sarah McBride is set to make history as the first out transgender person to get elected to Congress. She ran virtually unopposed in her Delaware race after winning the Democratic primary and received a slew of support from the Democratic Party and national LGBTQ+ rights organizations. A major part of her platform was protecting transgender rights in the United States.
Leslie Blackburn – Lodi Township, Michigan Trustee
Leslie Blackburn successfully ran for the Lodi Township, Michigan Trustee. Blackburn ran on a platform to protect the local environment and push for transparency in the local government.
Precious Brady-Davis – Greater Chicago, Illinois Metropolitan Water Reclamation District
Brady-Davis made history as the first Black trans woman to be elected to office in Cook County, Illinois. Her goal is to fight against flooding in the city, providing sustainable drinking water for all residents while aiming to increase the energy efficiency of Chicago’s water systems.
Brian Cina – Vermont House of Representatives
Brian Cina was re-elected to the Vermont House of Representatives during election night. A genderqueer/non-binary candidate, he has previously worked in human services, providing outreach to marginalized families while also protecting youth within the state.
Mari Cordes – Vermont House of Representatives
Mari Codes is a genderqueer member of the Vermont House who successfully ran for re-election on November 5. She’s worked on disaster relief for Haiti, ran policy initiatives for the state, and helped found her nurse’s union before getting elected to office.
Brion Curran – Minnesota House of Representatives
Brion Curran was an incumbent member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party who successfully won re-election in her district. They’re a genderqueer/non-binary candidate who aims to advocate for disabled people, reproductive rights, environmental justice, and many more areas of civil justice.
Emma Curtis – Lexington-Fayette, Kentucky Urban County Council
Curtis, an out trans woman, successfully ran for the council of Lexington-Fayette, Kentucky. She said of her victory in a statement to local radio, “I think that is significant because there are a lot of young trans kids in Lexington and a lot of young trans kids in Kentucky and quite frankly a lot of young trans kids in the United States who need to see people like them getting a seat at the table.”
Amber Fellows – Ypsilanti, Michigan City Council
Amber Fellows is a non-binary/genderqueer city council candidate for Ypsilanti, Michigan. She’s described on On Your Ballot as a “first-generation Japanese-American, lgbtqia+, 3-year homeowner, three-time city official, director of a regional volunteer program, musician, gardener, and political organizer.” She ran on a platform of housing justice, Palestinian liberation, and reparations for Black and Indigenous People of Color.
Leigh Finke – Minnesota House of Representatives
Leigh Finke successfully ran for re-election to the Minnesota House of Representatives in this year’s election. She ran on a platform of LGBTQ+ rights, promising to represent her queer constituents in northern St. Paul, Minnesota. She played an instrumental role in getting the Minnesotan trans refugee bill passed into law and has passed numerous important bills for LGBTQ+ rights.
Xavier Johnson – Berkeley, California Rent Stabilization Board
Xavier Johnson, alongside Alfred Twu, was elected to the Rent Stabilization Board in Berkeley, California. A genderqueer/non-binary politician, Johnson aims to provide fair, affordable, and safe housing for all residents of Berkeley, especially those who are marginalized in some way.
Alicia “Liish” Kozlowski – Minnesota House of Representatives
Alicia “Liish” Kozlowski was just re-elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives, representing the area of Duluth. They’re a nonbinary, Indigenous candidate that helped create the Queer Caucus in the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, the Minnesota affiliate of the Democratic Party.
Jo Miller – Woodbury, New Jersey City Council
Incumbent Jo Miller successfully ran for re-election to the Woodbury, New Jersey City Council. They’re the first elected transgender and non-binary Democratic candidate in Southern New Jersey. “What can you do for other people while you’re here? My intent was always to do something to make the world a little better,” they said to Philadelphia Gay News.
DeShanna Neal – Delaware House of Representatives
DeShanna Neal is an incumbent member of the Delaware House who successfully won re-election to their district. The first nonbinary member of the Delaware House of Representatives, they previously increased the pay of educators in the state, provided free lunches for students, and fought to implement rent control policies.
Ambureen Rana – Maine House of Representatives
Rana is a genderqueer/non-binary Representative from Maine who won re-election in her district. Muslim as well as LGBTQ+, she focuses on economic justice for marginalized people, addressing needs like economic instability and housing insecurity.
Evelyn Rios Stafford – Washington County, Arkansas Justice of Peace
Evelyn Rios Stafford is a trans woman who ran for Washington County Justice of Peace in Arkansas. She ran on a platform of COVID-19 relief, providing safe and affordable housing for marginalized people and criminal justice and wisely spending the county’s money to better provide for its residents.
Abigail Salisbury – Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Abigail Salisbury ran unopposed for a seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from a district in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. She’s Jewish, autistic, and bisexual. Salisbury ran on a progressive platform of LGBTQ+ rights, the legalization of cannabis and psilocybin, and abortion rights.
Brianna Titone – Colorado House of Representatives
Brianna Titone won re-election to the Colorado House of Representatives. She’s a trans woman who made history as the first out trans legislator in Colorado’s history. She previously worked as a geologist and as a software developer and aims to provide a voice for constituents who don’t feel heard in their state’s legislature.
Alfred Twu – Berkeley, California Rent Stabilization Board
Alfred Twu successfully got the last open position on the Berkeley, California Rent Stabilization Board. Twu ran on a platform of tenants’ rights, advocating for those in at-risk housing while planning to make it more affordable and safe.
Aime Wichtendahl – Iowa House of Representatives
Aime Wichtendahl made history as the first trans legislator in Iowa’s history. She’s a transgender woman who ran on a platform of civil rights, union support, abortion rights, and cannabis legalization. She said of her victory in a quote to The Gazette, “I am honored to make history tonight. It shows that Iowans and Americans at large are tired of the culture war politics and anti-trans legislation and will vote for leaders who prioritize their well-being and work for them to get ahead.”
Zooey Zephyr – Montana House of Representatives
Zooey Zephyr was re-elected to the Montana House of Representatives in a sweeping victory. She’s the first trans woman to be elected to public office in Montana and has worked tirelessly to advocate not only for transgender rights within the state but across the entire country as well. She is the fiancee of trans journalist and activist Erin Reed.
Bonus: Proposition 1 – New York
Proposition 1, also known as the Equal Rights Amendment, codified the protection of transgender people into the state Constitution by adding an amendment that detailed specific marginalized groups that are guaranteed rights and representation within the state. This will protect trans people in the state for decades to come, and it overcame tremendous odds with Republicans trying to take down the amendment.
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