2022 Midterm Elections - Blog Posts

As the United States 2022 Midterm Elections come to a close, both Democratic and Republican parties have celebrated a number of historic victories in the past few weeks. These victories have resulted in a very diverse field of elected candidates.

Alabama

The first woman to be elected to the Senate from Alabama: Katie Britt

Two women, Dixie Bibb Graves and Maryon Pittman Allen, have previously been appointed to the office to fill vacancies.

Arizona

First Latino Republican elected to Congress from Arizona: Juan Ciscomani

Arkansas

First woman to serve as Governor of Arkansas: Sarah Huckabee Sanders (a position previously held by her father Mike Huckabee from 1996 to 2007)

First woman to serve as Lieutenant Governor: Leslie Rutledge

With the election of Sanders and Rutledge, Arkansas will be one of two states with women serving concurrently as governor and lieutenant governor, the other being Massachusetts.

California

First Latino elected to the Senate from California: Alex Padilla (he was previously appointed to the position to fill the vacancy left by Kamala Harris when she became Vice President)

First elected Black Secretary of State of California: Shirley Weber (Weber was appointed last year to replace Alex Padilla)

First elected Filipino Attorney General: Rob Bonta (Bonta was appointed last year to replace Xavier Becerra who left to become Secretary of Health and Human Services)

First openly LGBTQ immigrant elected to Congress: Robert Garcia

First woman and first black woman elected Mayor of Los Angeles: Karen Bass

Colorado

First Latina elected to Congress from Colorado: Yadira Caraveo

Connecticut

First Black woman to serve as Secretary of State of Connecticut: Stephanie Thomas

Florida

First member of Generation Z elected to Congress: Maxwell Frost

Georgia

First Muslim women elected to the Georgia State Legislature: Nabilah Islam and Ruwa Romman

Illinois

First Latina elected to Congress from Illinois: Delia Ramirez

First openly gay person elected to Congress from Illinois: Eric Sorenson

First Muslim elected to the Illinois State House: Abdelnasser Rashid

Iowa

First Arab American to serve in the Iowa State Legislature: Sami Scheetz

Maryland

First Black governor of Maryland: Wes Moore

First Asian American Lieutenant governor: Aruna Miller (her family is from India)

First Black Attorney General of Maryland: Anthony Brown

Massachusetts

One of two of the first openly Lesbian governor is US history and first woman governor of Massachusetts: Maura Haley (the other being Tina Kotek)

With the election of Haley and her running mate Kim Driscoll, Massachusetts will join Arkansas as one of two states with women serving concurrently as both governor and lieutenant governor.

First Black woman to serve as Attorney General of Massachusetts: Andrea Campbell

Michigan

First Black Republican elected to Congress from Michigan: John James

First Indian American elected to Congress from Michigan: Shri Thanedar

Minnesota

First ever Transgender person elected to the Minnesota State Legislature: Leigh Finke

Montana

First ever Transgender person elected to the Montana State Legislature: Zooey Zephyer

First openly nonbinary person elected to the State Legislature: SJ Howell

Nevada

First Latino to serve as Secretary of State of Nevada: Cisco Aguilar

New Hampshire

First ever Transgender man elected to a state legislature in the US: James Roesener

New York

First woman to be elected governor of New York: Kathy Hochul (she assumed the position last year after her successor, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, resigned in disgrace)

First candidate elected from a House of Representatives race between two openly gay candidates: George Santos

Ohio

Longest serving woman in the history of the House of Representatives: Marcy Katpur (began serving in 1982)

Oklahoma

First Native American elected to the Senate from Oklahoma in over a century: Markwayne Mullin (Member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma)

Robert Owen, also Cherokee, served in the position from 1907 to 1925.

Oregon

One of the two first openly Lesbian governors in US history: Tina Kotek (the other being Maura Haley)

First Latinos elected to Congress from Oregon: Lori Chavez-DeRemer and Andrea Salinas

Pennsylvania

First Black lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania: Austin Davis

First Black woman elected to Congress from Pennsylvania: Summer Lee

Vermont

First woman and first openly LGBTQ person elected to Congress from Vermont: Becca Balint

With the election of Balint, Vermont loses its distinction of being the only state to never send a woman to Congress

First woman to be elected Attorney General of Vermont: Charity Clark

Washington

First Latino Democrat elected to Congress from Washington: Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (her predecessor, Jaime Herrera Butler, was the first Hispanic member of Congress from Washington)