Jared Polis Wins Historic Victory in CO-02

The Denver Post and the Rocky Mountain News have both now called CO-02's Democratic Primary for Jared Polis. Both of his rivals have called him to concede.

This is historic. Jared is the first openly gay man elected to an open seat in Congress (pending the General Election in a heavily Dem District). Guess what. His sexuality was not even an issue in the race. Instead, he ran on a platform of ending the war in Iraq (he fully backs the Responsible Plan), supporting a progressive environmental agenda, and ending subsidies to Big Oil. Let's hope that the rest of the country can follow suit.

On a personal note, I would like to say that Jared worked hard for this victory. Very hard. He faced difficult odds and challenging personal dynamics to pull out a decisive victory in this race. The way he has conducted himself is admirable. I would also like to note that he is an inspiration to me. I will wake up tomorrow with a feeling that America has become just a little more equal. It'll give me a little more 'oomph' to continue the work that I do on a daily basis to make our world a better place.

Congratulations, Jared. And thanks.

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Comments

[kjdwyer]

08:04 PM on 08/13/2008

Bravo. The one shining light of the last eight years has been the steady advancement of gay rights (even in the face of a few notable setbacks such as the various state consitutional amendments banning gay marriage).

It's remarkable that we've been able to forge ahead and to continue breaking down those barriers; especially in light of the Bush legacy and the ever growing evangelical movement in the U.S.

I think it's worth remembering the late great Harvey Milk who was, I think, the first openly gay person to hold political office in the United States (he became a San Francisco Supervisor in 1977) . He was an incredible force. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvey_Milk

I was living in San Francisco at this time and just inching out of the closet. I remember his saying that, and I'm paraphrasing here, if all gay people came out of the closet tomorrow, our issues would resolve rapidly.

He was absolutely right. There are still fights to be waged but we should be very proud of the advancements we've made thus far.

So cheers to Harvey Milk and Jared Polis and everyone in between. And cheers to the next generation of gay political officials.

[Luigi53102]

05:19 PM on 08/13/2008

I live in Colorado, although not in the 2nd District, and was subjected to the barrage of tv advertising for this primary. I congratulate Jared Polis, and am confident that he is a great fit for the job. Although I have been hearing of Jared for years (including how he got filthy rich in the dot.com madness of the late 90's), I personally had no idea that he is "openly" gay. For that blessed ignorance, everyone should congratulate his primary opponents, Joan Fitz-Gerald (openly hyphenated) and Will Shafroth. They campaigned on the issues that mattered. What a refreshing departure from "politics as usual!" Best of luck Jared.

[Jonny38103]

03:32 PM on 08/13/2008

Great news! Mr. Polis is right on the issues and therefore his sexuality shouldn't matter. Time is taking away these wedge issues from Republicans. As old people die, a lot of their dumb ideas die with them. That's the evolution of ideas. Great news.

[Charlio]

09:23 AM on 08/13/2008

This is a great event just before the Dems convention. Especially with all the anti-gay legislation that has been throw around in that state. Let's hope this is a turning sign...:)

[Jude2004]

09:13 AM on 08/13/2008

I was not surprised that Polis won. Wins are largely based on television advertising campaigns; since he is wealthy, his was the best.

[TeddySanFran]

03:49 AM on 08/13/2008

Thanks to Jared Polis for all his hard work, and thanks to all who supported him in his historic achievement. This is an historic night for our community.

Thanks for this post, Lane.

[justinmeister]

03:37 AM on 08/13/2008

That's fantastic! Congratulations to Polis!