Midterm elections: Six states elect first transgender representatives

Projections from NBC, CNN, and CBS indicate that voters in six states elected their first transgender representatives to public office during the 2026 midterm elections. The states include Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Michigan, Washington, and Wisconsin. This marks the first time these specific jurisdictions have had trans officials in these roles.

The victories in the Deep South states of Florida, Georgia, and Alabama drew particular attention due to the region's historical conservatism. In Georgia, Bentley Hudgins won the Democratic primary for the state House of Representatives District 90. Hudgens defeated Republican Samantha Boston with 92.5 percent of the vote. Hudgins identifies as a non-binary person and will become the first person of Japanese descent in the Georgia legislature.

Hudgins stated that their priority is to stop what they described as attacks by President Donald Trump and the Republican Party against residents of Georgia. In Alabama, Democrat Allison Montgomery took the state House seat in District 25 from Republican Phillip Rigsby. This win was one of three upsets in the northern part of the state, which turned blue in the legislative contests.

Montgomery faced criticism from Alabama Republican Party Chair Scott Stadthagen during the campaign. Stadthagen referred to Montgomery and another transgender Democratic candidate as men with mental disorders. In Florida, Quinnie Perez of Mexican descent won the election for the District 1 Soil and Water Conservation Board in Orange County. Perez is the first elected transgender official in Florida and focused her campaign on supporting agricultural workers and protecting local biodiversity.

In Michigan, hospital chaplain Joanna Whaley became the first transgender person elected to the state legislature. Whaley noted before the election that she was a survivor of years of conversion therapy. In Washington, Jaelynn Scott won a state legislative seat, becoming the first Black transgender state legislator in the United States. In Wisconsin, Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford won the state contest for a legislative seat.

The results in Michigan, Washington, and Wisconsin added to the record number of transgender officials elected this year. These wins followed the broader Democratic victories in key legislative races across those states.