With 100 percent of the votes in from yesterday’s (Aug. 11) state primary in Vermont, Taylor Small, a transgender woman from Winooski, earned the Democratic party’s vote to represent her Chittenden 6-7 district in the State House.
If elected on November 3, Small, currently the director of health and wellness at the Pride Center of Vermont, would become one the first openly trans legislators in Vermont.
“I’m really glad that all of the work we put into this campaign and connecting to this community has really paid off,” she told the online news source VTDigger. “It just feels like a testament to what Vermont is looking for and what Winooski is looking for in their leadership.”
Her primary win was decisive, taking 44.96 percent of the vote compared to her competitors Hal Colston’s 40.88 present and Jordan Matte’s 14.16 percent. Colston was the incumbent in the race.
“Good for Taylor,” Matte told VTDigger, crediting her online presence and endorsements for assisting in her win.
Small had received the endorsements of both Christine Hallquist, the first transgender woman to win a major party’s nomination for governor two years ago, and current LGBTQ State Rep Diana Gonzalez, who was not running for reelection this year.
Other LGBTQ candidates winning their primary races in Vermont are current State Reps Kathleen James of Bennington and Bill Lippert of Chittenden’s 4-2 district. Ember Quinn, a transgender candidate for the Chittenden-10 district, also advanced from the Democratic primary to run in the general election.
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