- Christine Hallquist, a trans woman, announced her candidacy in a crowded bar at Moog’s Place in Morrisville, Vermont last Sunday.
- Her journey in the election is far from over as she will likely face off with two other potential nominees within the Democratic party.
- Formerly working as a CEO of Vermont Electric Cooperative, Hallquist said that she will focus on prioritizing rural economic development.
A transgender candidate and former corporate executive kicked off her campaign to run for governor in the state of Vermont, becoming the first major party candidate in any state in the United States.
According to the transgender latest news published by VPR on April 9, Christine Hallquist, a trans woman, announced her candidacy in a crowded bar at Moog’s Place in Morrisville last Sunday.
Democratic party challenger
Running under the Democratic party, Hallquist is going to be up against incumbent governor Phil Scott.
“I’m Christine Hallquist and I’m running to be the Governor of Vermont,” she announced to the audience that included her family, friends and supporters, marking the historic day.
While she was proud of her gender identity, she was hoping that the electorate would choose to move past that.
She explained, “My transgender role, although it will be historic, my wish is that everybody just overlooks that and looks at the policies and my resume and the history of what I’ve done.”
Her journey in the election is far from over as she will likely face off with two other potential nominees within the Democratic party.
In the August primary, she will run against environmental advocate James Ehlers and middle schooler Ethan Sonneborn who had joined in the race for a nomination.
Election campaign
Formerly working as a CEO of Vermont Electric Cooperative, Hallquist said that she will focus on prioritizing rural economic development. Among other things, she would work to push for single-payer healthcare, education, combating climate change and bringing awareness to renewable sources of energy.
She would also work to connect every home and business establishment in the state with fiber optic internet cable with the help of electric utilities.
More details from NewNowNext revealed that Hallquist, 61, would also work for mainstream issues such as gender pay gap, reforms in the judicial system particularly in prison management, and the opioid crisis.
In addition, she also shared that she had a difficult journey towards being her authentic self.
“However, it has always been important to me to live openly and honestly. I chose to transition in a very public way because I felt I owed it to those at Vermont Electric Co-op who had put their trust in me,” she stated.
Married with three children and two grandchildren, she said, “My wish is that everybody just overlooks [my being transgender] and looks at the policies and my resume and the history of what I’ve done.”
There has been increased visibility of transgender candidates running for election across the country. Danica Roem, a trans woman, made history for her victory in gaining a seat in Virginia legislature last year.
In the upcoming November mid-term elections, about 40 trans candidates are estimated to run for election in various positions in the government, many of whom would be backed up by LGBT advocacy groups.
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