History was made in Vermont last week when voters elected Becca Balint to become the first woman and first openly LGBTQ US Congress member from the Green Mountain State. Balint is also currently the state’s first openly LGBTQ and woman Senate pro tempore.
Reports VTDigger.com:
Balint’s win brings Vermont in line with the rest of the nation. Until Tuesday, Vermont was the only state that had never elected a woman to its congressional delegation.
The Brattleboro Democrat beat Republican nominee and self-described independent Liam Madden. With all but one precinct reporting early [last] Wednesday morning, according to the Secretary of State’s Office, Balint was leading Madden 60 to 27%, with Libertarian nominee Ericka Redic picking up 4 percent of the vote.
Madden called Balint to concede Tuesday night, according to Balint’s campaign manager, Natalie Silver.
Shortly after that phone call, at the Vermont Democratic Party’s election night celebration in Burlington, Balint’s wife Elizabeth Wohl was met with voracious applause when she introduced Balint as the first woman to represent Vermont in Congress. Beaming, Balint thanked her family and campaign staff standing behind her and said, “If we had believed that change was impossible, I would not be standing here tonight.”
“Take note and take heart: Vermont is a place where kindness and integrity and courage matter,” Balint said. “Vermont is a place where the daughter of an immigrant dad and a working class mom can be the first woman and the first gay person to represent Vermont in the U.S. House of Representatives.”
Read the complete VTDigger.com article here.
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