Subscribe
Cassius Life Featured Video
CLOSE
TOPSHOT-US-POLITICS-VOTE-ELECTIONS

Source: DON EMMERT / Getty

While we didn’t see the “blue wave” or the “rainbow wave” that we originally predicted, the 2018 midterm elections did see blue and rainbow high tides.

The world bore witness to history being made on Tuesday night in the United States’ 2018 midterm elections. While democratic hopefuls like Beto O’Rourke of Texas, Andrew Gillum of Florida, Christine Hallquist of Vermont, and Stacey Abrams of Georgia didn’t win the gubernatorial races in their respective states, the party did see some incredible wins.

The Democrats successfully took back the house, taking 219 seats to the Republican Party’s 193. Additionally, while Dems did not take the Senate, they do have 43 seats to the Republican Party’s 43. Check out some of the historic wins made this year down below.

1 Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Becomes Youngest Person Elected to Congress

Our favorite Nuyorican hopeful is going to the house. At 29, Ocasio-Cortez is the youngest person elected to Congress in United States history defeating Anthony Pappas in New York’s 14th congressional district, which includes parts of Queens and The Bronx.

2 Jared Polis Elected First Openly Gay Governor of Colorado

Colorado’s Democratic candidate Jared Polis is the first openly gay man elected to a governor’s position, defeating Republican nominee Walker Stapleton.

3 Sharice Davids is the First Native American Lesbian Elected in Kansas

Davids made history as the first openly LGBTQ Kansan and one of the first two Native Americans elected to Congress. She is a member of the Wisconsin-based Ho-Chunk Nation, lived and worked on Native American reservations, and is now a Kansas City area resident. She attended Johnson County Community College and then Cornell Law School before serving as a White House fellow at the end of the Obama administration.

 

4 Chris Pappas Becomes New Hampshire’s First Openly Gay Member of Congress

Democrat Chris Pappas beat out Republican Eddie Edwards in New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District, becoming the first openly gay member of Congress representing the state.

5 “Dónde Votar” Was A Top Trending Google Search

“Donde votar,” which means “where to vote” in Spanish was the top trending search the morning of election day in the United States.

6 Kate Brown Wins Re-Election in Oregon

Kate Brown, who was the United States’ first LGBTQ+ governor, won re-election defeating Republican Knute Buehler. This is Brown’s second term.

 

7 Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar Are The First Muslim-American Women Elected to Congress

Michigan Democrat Rashida Tlaib and Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party’s Ilhan Omar are the first Muslim women to join US Congress. Omar is also the nation’s first Somali-American member and came to the US over two decades ago as a refugee.

8 Deb Haaland is One of The Two First Native American Women Elected to Congress

Alongside Davis, Deb Haaland won a seat in Congress in New Mexico’s 1st Congressional District. An enrolled member of the Laguna Pueblo tribe, she is a 57-year-old single mom and is a former state party chair.

9 The US Elected Over 100 Women to Congress

This is the first time that the nation has elected this record number of women.

 

10 Sylvia Garcia and Veronica Escobar First Latinx Women From Texas Going to Congress

Houston’s Sylvia Garcia and El Paso’s Veronica Escobar are the first Latinas elected in Texas to represent “The Lone Star State” in Congress.

11 Massachusetts Upholds Transgender Protections

On Tuesday, Massachusetts voted to uphold a state law that forbids discrimination against transgender folks in public places such as hotels, stores, restaurants, theaters, sports facilities, and hospitals.