November 8, 2022

The Historic Firsts of the 2022 Midterms

Including the first out lesbian to be elected US governor.

Julio Cortez/ Associated Press

Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.

It’s still early and the anxiety over a likely red wave crashing down over national, state, and local races remains intact. But a handful of notable firsts regarding race, gender, and sexual orientation have already emerged. Here are a few worth highlighting:

Wes Moore 

Wes Moore, the author and non-profit executive, made history by becoming Maryland’s first Black governor, defeating state legislator Dan Cox, the far-right candidate backed by Donald Trump. Despite being a newbie in politics, Moore received endorsements from several high-profile names, including Barack Obama and Oprah Winfrey. Moore, who will become only the third Black governor in the US, ran on a platform focusing on ending childhood poverty

Maxwell Alejandro Frost

At only 25, the minimum age to run for Congress, social justice activist Maxwell Alejandro Frost won Florida’s 10th Congressional District, making him the first Gen-Z candidate to win a seat in Congress. An organizer and advocate for gun reform, Frost ran on a platform for stricter gun laws, abortion rights, and affordable housing. According to a 2022 report from the Congressional Research Service, the average age of members of the House is 58.4 years old. 

Sarah Huckabee Sanders

Following in dad’s footsteps, Sarah Huckabee Sanders will become the first woman to become governor of Arkansas. Donald Trump endorsed the former White House press secretary last year, calling her a candidate “strong on borders, tough on crime, and fully [supportive of] the Second Amendment and our great law enforcement officers.”

Maura Healey 

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey will become the first woman governor in Massachusetts, as well as the country’s first openly lesbian governor. Healey ran on a platform that promised to expand affordable housing, better public transportation, and protect people’s reproductive freedoms. 

Becca Balint

Despite its reputation as a liberal state, Vermont was, at one point, the only state that’d never had a female congressperson. Well, that’s officially changed. State senator and former middle school teacher Becca Balint made Vermont history, becoming the first woman and openly gay person to secure the state’s only Senate seat. Balint, who ran on a platform of expanding healthcare and protecting workers’ rights, said to US News and World Report that she hopes her win will inspire LGBTQ youth and other marginalized groups to run for office.
 

WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

payment methods

WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate