Colorado Democrat Jared Polis becomes first openly gay man ever elected governor

Jared Polis.
(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Democrat Jared Polis has won the Colorado governor's race, defeating Republican Walker Stapleton, NBC News and ABC News project.

Polis is the first openly gay man ever elected as governor in the United States. He is now serving in the House of Representatives, representing Colorado's 2nd Congressional District.

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) became the first openly bisexual governor in U.S. history when she succeeded Democrat John Kitshaber in 2015, upon his resignation. When she won her 2016 special election, Brown became the first openly LGBTQ person elected as a U.S. governor. In 2004, after being elected, former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey (D) announced he was gay.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.