Christine Hallquist won the Democratic nomination for governor in Vermont’s primary last night, becoming the first transgender person to become a gubernatorial nominee for any major political party.
“Tonight, we made history,” Ms. Hallquist said to her supporters at an election night party in Burlington, reported The New York Times. “I am so proud to be the face of the Democrats tonight.”
Hallquist told Boston Spirit magazine earlier this year in our “Let Us Introduce You” profile on her (May/June 2018 issue) that she’s running on experience, not identity. She brings top management skills from her 12-year role as CEO of Vermont Electric Coop, during which she completely turned around the ailing organization’s finances. She hopes to bring that expertise to combat climate change, fight rural poverty, protect LGBT rights and much more if she gets the chance to take the office.
Reports the Times:
It is a remarkable milestone, even for an election year already dominated by an influx of women and a record number of candidates who identify as lesbian, gay, transgender or queer.
“Christine’s victory is a defining moment in the movement for trans equality and is especially remarkable given how few out trans elected officials there are at any level of government,” said Annise Parker, the chief executive of the L.G.B.T.Q. Victory Fund, which trains and supports gay and transgender candidates, in a statement on Tuesday evening. “Yet Vermont voters chose Christine not because of her gender identity, but because she is an open and authentic candidate with a long history of service to the state, and who speaks to the issues most important to voters.” …
Before she ran for governor, Ms. Hallquist spent 12 years as the chief executive of the Vermont Electric Cooperative, an in-state power utility that she helped to bring back from near ruin. Her transition from male to female took place in 2015, while she was at the helm of the company, and was the subject of a documentary film made by her son.
As a candidate, she made it part of her stump speech, drawing knowing laughs from her female supporters at a fund-raiser this summer as she talked about what it was like to experience life as a woman for the first time.
“I remember the first time after transitioning, a stranger walking by told me to smile — I’m like, ‘Who the heck are you to tell me to smile?’” Ms. Hallquist said. “What my transition has taught me is just how far we have to go.”
But she also emphasized her experience with energy and infrastructure, and made speeding up internet access, which lags in some rural parts of the state, a key campaign pledge. Previous governors have made similar promises, but failed to fully deliver. On Tuesday night, she also called for progressive keystones like universal Medicare and stemming climate change.
