It’s Not All Awful! Here Are Some Majorly Uplifting Election Results

A lot of races from Tuesday’s election have yet to be decided and it’s natural to be feeling anxious, disappointed, or furious—or, most likely, a mix of all three. But there were also some really exciting results that we get to celebrate.

A historic night for LGBTQ+ candidates

Obviously, most of our collective attention has been on the presidential race, but there are so many more races on the state and local levels. And this year, hundreds of LGBTQ+ candidates were on ballots across the country. Here are just a few historic wins:

30-year-old Sarah McBride was elected to Delaware’s State Senate, making her the highest-ranking openly trans lawmaker in the country and the first out trans state senator in the country.

Stephanie Byers became the first openly trans person elected to Kansas’ State House of Representatives. And as a member of the Chickasaw Nation, she’s also the first openly trans Indigenous person elected to office anywhere in the country.

27-year-old criminal justice reform activist Mauree Turner became the country’s first non-binary state lawmaker and Oklahoma’s first Muslim state legislator.

Adrian Tam is not only Hawaii’s only openly LGBTQ+ elected official, but his opponent was the leader of the state’s Proud Boys chapter.

There are a ton more historic LGBTQ+ wins to celebrate. Here’s a good thread:

And you can see more here:

And here:

Mississippi got a new flag

Mississippi ditched their Confederate-themed flag in favor of this “New Magnolia” design, which includes 20 white stars for the 20th state to join the United States and a single gold star to honor the Native people who lived on the land before it was taken from them.

Progressive activist Cori Bush became Missouri’s first Black Congresswoman

Every member of “The Squad” won their reelection

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, Rashida Tlaib, and Ilhan Omar are all back for another term.

New Mexico elected all BIPOC women to its state delegation

More marijuana!

Marijuana legalization measures were passed in five states: Arizona, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, and South Dakota. South Dakota became the first state to legalize both medicinal use and recreational use in the same election.

Additionally, Oregon voted to decriminalize all drugs and legalize psychedelics for the treatment of mental illness. Washington DC voted to decriminalize psychedelics.

Florida upped its minimum wage

The minimum wage in Florida will increase from $8.56 an hour to $10 next year, with incremental increases until it reaches $15/hour in 2026.

What else?

Was there good news out of your district or another race you’re really excited about? Let us know in the comments!

(image: ALEX EDELMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

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Vivian Kane

Vivian Kane (she/her) is the Senior News Editor at The Mary Sue, where she's been writing about politics and entertainment (and all the ways in which the two overlap) since the dark days of late 2016. Born in San Francisco and radicalized in Los Angeles, she now lives in Kansas City, Missouri, where she gets to put her MFA to use covering the local theatre scene. She is the co-owner of The Pitch, Kansas City’s alt news and culture magazine, alongside her husband, Brock Wilbur, with whom she also shares many cats.

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