Much has been made of 2018 being “The Year of the Woman,” but that narrative only tells part of the story of this election cycle. In fact, the country is seeing an increase in potentially historic candidacies across many demographics, including the LGBTQ community.
Within the next four weeks, three transgender women will appear on ballots across the United States. They are part of what’s being called a “rainbow wave” of LGBTQ candidates in this year’s midterms.
“This year has been especially notable in that we have more trans women running for office than at any other time in history,” said Elliot Isme of Victory Fund, which helps elect LGBTQ candidates. He pointed to the 2017 victories of Virginia Del. Danica Roem, D, and Minneapolis City Council member Andrea Jenkins, D, as helping pave the way for more transgender candidates to emerge in this cycle.
Roughly 200 LGBT candidates are expected to be on the November ballot across the country for state and federal office, the most ever, according to the Victory Fund.
Two transgender candidates will be on ballots in the next week: In Hawaii, Kim Coco Iwamoto, a lawyer and advocate for the homeless, is seeking the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor. In Vermont, Christine Hallquist, the former chief executive of Vermont Electric Cooperative, is vying to be the Democrats’ gubernatorial nominee.
On Sept. 4, former military intelligence officer Alexandra Chandler will be seeking the Democratic nomination for the Massachusetts Third Congressional District. All three are embracing liberal policies as their campaign platforms, and they all face steep odds.
All of these candidates say that while their identities could make them game-changers, they are focused primarily on issues like climate change, health care and jobs.
“Yes, I recognize the historic significance, but that’s not really a thought,” said Hallquist, who transitioned in 2015 while serving as head of the VEC and has made her story a key part of her political narrative.
Of the three candidates, Hallquist has the best chance of advancing to the general election: Polling is scarce in that race, but she had the best name recognition of all the Democratic candidates in a VPR —Vermont PBS poll from July.
If she wins her primary, she’d make history as the first openly transgender woman to be a major party nominee for governor. But it will be tough to topple Republican incumbent Phil Scott in November; the Cook Political Report rates the race solidly Republican, and he remains more popular with Democrats than any of that party’s candidates.
Halliquist said her experience as a transgender woman encourages her to fight for women’s rights and on behalf of marginalized communities.
After her transition, “Vermont welcomed me with open arms. I can’t do enough for Vermont,” she said.
Iwamoto considers herself a Democratic socialist. She was named a Harvey Milk Champion of Change by the Obama White House in 2013.
“The lieutenant governor’s office could be doing so much more for the people of Hawaii . . .. working on the front lines of our state’s most pressing problems,” she said.
She is particularly adamant about improving education and funding for public schools and solving the state’s homelessness and housing affordability issues.
In Massachusetts, the retirement of Rep. Niki Tsongas provided an opening for other Democrats. With urging from friends, political acquaintances and her wife, Chandler decided to run.
“I felt Congress needs the specific expertise that I have to offer and the specific skill set working under different administrations,” she said. Chandler served in the Office of Naval Intelligence for 12 years and wants to use that experience to affect foreign policy in Congress.
On the campaign trail, her identity as a transgender woman “amplifies and validates part of the pitch I make to voters,” she said. “What I tell voters is: ‘I’m tough. I’ve had to stand up for myself. I had to keep working after Trump tweeted the trans military ban.’ “
Chandler’s Democratic primary field is a crowded one, and an April poll showed that former ambassador Rufus Gifford led the pack, though the majority of voters hadn’t made up their minds then. He has raised $1.3 million, according to the latest Federal Election Commission data, while Chandler has raised a little over $108,000.
Hallquist is facing three other Democrats in Tuesday’s primary: Environmental activist James Ehlers, dance festival organizer Brenda Siegel and Ethan Sonneborn, a 14-year-old boy taking advantage of a quirk in state law that doesn’t require gubernatorial candidates to be of voting age. Republican incumbent Gov. Phil Scott also faces a primary challenge of his own from Springfield businessman Keith Stern, who describes himself as a conservative running on financial issues.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.