A Touch Of Gay #84: The Historic Rainbow Wave

The historic Rainbow Wave of 2026 elected dozens of LGBTQ+ candidates at local, state, and national government posts. Daily Inspiration: Take the win and be grateful * Pause when you win a huge victory to reflect on what it means * Be grateful for the feeling, the blessing, and for the fruits * Reflect on how you or we got there, give recognition where it is due Check In: * Heart is warm, hope restored from election * Still gathering the momentousness of our moment in time * Cautious about where we go next Topic: The Rainbow Wave Of 2026 National Races * First gay senator elected to US Senate from New Hampshire - Chris Pappas * First transgender congresswoman from Delaware (re-elected) Sarah McBride * First bi-sexual congressperson from California - Marni von Wilpert * First gay congressman from San Francisco, CA - Scott Wiener * Gay congressman from California (re-election) - Mark Takano * Gay congressman from California (re-election) - Robert Garcia * First gay congressman from Illinois (re-elected) - Eric Sorensen * First gay congressman from Indiana - J.D. Ford * First Native American lesbian congresswoman from Kansas (re-elected) - Sharice Davids * First gay congressman from Michigan - Jeremy Moss * First gay Afro-Latino congressman from New York (re-elected) - Ritchie Torres * First lesbian congresswoman from Vermont (re-elected) - Becca Balint * First lesbian Latina congresswoman from Washington (re-elected) - Emily Randall * First gay and longest running congressman from Wisconsin (re-elected) Mark Pocan State Races * First lesbian governor Massachusetts (re-elected) - Maura Healy * First lesbian governor Oregon (re-elected) - Tina Kotek * First transgender woman state legislator in Alabama - Allison Montgomery * First queer state legislator and former veteran in Arizona - Joanna Mendoza * First lesbian state legislator in Delaware (re-elected) - Claire Snyder-Hall * First non-binary state legislator in Delaware (re-elected) - DeShanna Neal * First transgender non-binary state legislator in Georgia - Bentley Hudgins * First transgender state legislator in Minnesota (re-elected) - Leigh Finke * First transgender state legislator in Montana (re-elected) - Zooey Zephyr * First black gay state legislator in Pennsylvania (re-elected) - Malcolm Kenyatta * Lesbian state legislator in Texas (re-election) - Ann Johnson * First transgender state legislator in Wisconsin - Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford Local Races * First gay sheriff in Alabama, Madison County - Brett Jones * First trans person City College Board Of Trustees San Francisco - Monroe Lace Cultural Highlights * First black US Speaker Of The House (pending) – Hakeem Jeffries * First Latino governor in California in 150 years - Xavier Becerra * First black woman governor in Georgia - Keisha Lance Bottoms * First Muslim senator from Michigan – Abdul El-Sayed * First black governor from Nevada – Aaron Ford * First Native American woman governor in US, New Mexico - Deb Halaand * First black woman as Judge in Harris County, TX - Letitia Plummer Historical Highlights * First time Arizona state legislature both houses under Democratic control since 1966 * First time Georgia state house and Governor under Democratic control since 2004 * Michigan governor and both houses of legislature now under Democratic control * Minnesota governor and both houses of legislature now under Democratic control * New Hampshire house and senate now under Democratic control * North Carolina governor and house now under Democratic control