Historic Firsts

Progress that Democrat leaders are making and the glass ceilings that are breaking.

Not every Historic First will be listed - the effort to catalogue them all continues!

jump through time:

In-page Anchor Example 2023 Historic Firsts
In-page Anchor Example 2022 Historic Firsts
In-page Anchor Example 2020 Historic Firsts

Enjoy learning about these pathfinders. While there is a wide array of excellent leaders and social media follows here, this list continues to seem incomplete!

photos c/o of each Representative.

2023 Historic Firsts


Jennifer McClellan, VA-04

Rep. McClellan is the first Black woman elected to represent Virginia in Congress.

Danica Roem, VA SD-30

State Sen. Roem is the first Transgender person elected to represent in Virginia's State Senate.

Gabe Amo, RI-01 

Rep. Amo is the first Black person elected to represent Rhode Island in Congress.

2022 Historic Firsts


Wes Moore, MD Gov

Gov. Wes Moore is Maryland's first Black governor - and the third Black man elected to the office of Governor in the country.

WesMoore.com

governor.maryland.gov


Maura Healey, MA Gov

Gov. Maura Healey is the first woman elected to the office of Governor in Massachusetts - and the first openly lesbian governor in the nation, along with Gov. Kotek.

MauraHealey.com

mass.gov

Tina Kotek, OR Gov

Gov. Kotek is the first openly lesbian governor in the nation, along with Gov. Healey.

TinaForOregon.com

oregon.gov

Kathy Hochul, NY Gov

Gov. Kathy Hochul is the first woman elected as Governor of New York.

KathyHochul.com

governor.ny.gov

Becca Balint, VT-0

Rep. Becca Balint is Vermont's first woman elected to the US House of Representatives. With this First, every state in the US has now elected a woman to Congress. And Rep. Becca is Vermont's first LGBTQ Congressional Representative as well.

BeccaBalint.com

balint.house.gov


Summer Lee, PA-12

Rep. Summer Lee is Pennsylvania's first Black woman to represent in the US House.

SummerForPA.com

summerlee.house.gov

Delia Ramirez, IL-03

Rep. Delia Ramirez is the first Latina elected to Congress for Illinois.

DeliaForCongress.com

ramirez.house.gov

Marcy Kaptur, OH-09

Rep. Marcy Kaptur is the longest-serving woman in Congressional history after first winning a seat in 1982.

MarcyKaptur.com

kaptur.house.gov

Eric Sorensen, IL-17

Rep. Eric Sorensen is the first LGBTQ person to represent in Congress from Illinois.

EricForIllinois.com

sorensen.house.gov

Shri Thanedar, MI-13

Rep. Shri Thanedar is Michigan's first Indian American elected to Congress.

ShriForCongress.com

thanedar.house.gov

Maxwell Frost, FL-10

Rep. Maxwell Frost is the first Gen Z representative in Congress.

FrostForCongress.com

frost.house.gov

Andrea Salinas, OR-06

Rep. Andrea Salinas is the first Latina elected to Congress from Oregon (along with fellow Rep. Chavez-DeRemer [R]).

AndreaSalinasForOregon.com

salinas.house.gov

Robert Garcia, CA-42

Rep. Robert Garcia is the first openly LGBTQ+ immigrant to represent in Congress.

RobertGarcia.com

robertgarcia.house.gov

Alex Padilla, CA Sen

Senator Alex Padilla is California's first Latino to be elected to the US Senate.

Alex-Padilla.com

padilla.senate.gov

Nabilah Islam, GA SD-07

State Sen. Nabilah Islam is the first Muslim woman elected to the Georgia State Senate.

NabilahIslam.com

senate.ga.gov

Ruwa Romman, GA HD-97

State Rep. Ruwa Romman is Georgia's first Muslim and Palestinian woman elected to the State House.

Ruwa4Georgia.com

house.ga.gov

James Roesener, NH HD Merrimack-22

State Rep. James Roesener is the first out Trans man elected to a State Legislature in the entire country.

CitizensCount.org

Leigh Finke, MN HD-66A

State Rep. Leigh Finke is the first Transgender lawmaker elected to Minnesota's State Legislature.

LeighForMN.com

mn.house.gov

Abdelnasser Rashid, IL HD-21

State Rep. Abdelnasser Rashid is the first Palestinian-American elected to Illinois' General Assembly.

RashidForIllinois.com

ilga.gov

SJ Howell, MT HD-95

State Rep. SJ Howell is Montana's first non-binary representative elected to serve.

HowellForMontana.com

leg.mt.gov

Zooey Zephyr, MT HD-100

State Rep. Zooey Zephyr is Montana's first elected Transgender lawmaker.

ZooeyZephyr.com

leg.mt.gov

Aruna Miller, MD Lt. Gov

Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller is the first South Asian woman to be elected as a state's lieutenant governor in the country.

WesMoore.com/Aruna

msa.maryland.gov

Austin Davis, PA Lt. Gov

Lt. Gov. Austin Davis is the first Black lieutenant governor elected in Pennsylvania's history.

JoshShapiro.org/Austin

governor.pa.gov

Dr. Shirley Weber, CA SOS

Dr. Shirley Weber is the first Black woman to serve as California's Secretary of State.

DrShirleyWeber.com

sos.ca.gov

Cisco Aguilar, NV SOS

Cisco Aguilar is Nevada's first Latino to serve as Secretary of State.

CiscoNV.co

nvsos.gov

Stephanie Thomas, CT SOS

Stephanie Thomas is Connecticut's first Black woman to serve as Secretary of State.

VoteStephanieThomas.com

portal.ct.gov

Andrea Campbell, MA AG

Andrea Campbell is Massachusetts' first woman to serve as Attorney General. 

AndreaCampbell.org

mass.gov

Charity Clark, VT AG

Charity Clark is Vermont's first woman to serve as Secretary of State.

CharityForVermont.com

ago.vermont.gov

Rob Bonta, CA AG

Rob Bonta is California's first Filipino American to serve as California's Attorney General.

RobBonta.com

oag.ca.gov

Anthony Brown, MD AG

Anthony Brown is Maryland's first Black Attorney General.

AnthonyBrown.com

marylandattorneygeneral.gov

Karen Bass, LA Mayor

Karen Bass is the first woman elected to serve as Mayor of Los Angeles.

KarenBass.com

mayor.lacity.gov

Sources: Glamour | 11.09.2022 - All the Historic Firsts of the 2022 Midterm Elections. Buzzfeed News | 11.16.2022 - Here are Some Historic Firsts from the 2022 Midterms That Will Make You Say "It's About Damn Time".

2020 Historic Firsts


Kamala Harris, Vice President

The first woman to lead as Vice President. The first Black Vice President. The first South Asian Vice President. And in 2024 or 2028, she could break glass ceilings as President.

@VP@KamalaHarris

Doug Emhoff, Second Gentleman

He is the first Second Gentleman of the United States and the first Jewish person to be in either the First (President's) or Second (Vice President's) families.

@SecondGentleman | @DouglasEmhoff

Joe Biden, President

He shattered the all-time vote total record when he received 81,282,903 votes to become the 46th US President. You already know.

@POTUS | @JoeBiden

Dr. Jill Biden, FLOTUS

She is the first FLOTUS (First Lady of the United States) to have a full-time job while in the White House - teaching at a community college. Would you be a better or worse student in her class??

@FLOTUS @DrBiden

Deb Haaland, Interior Secretary

Deb Haaland (NM-01) is the first Native American to lead the Department of the Interior - and the first Native American to serve in a Cabinet secretary role.

@SecDebHaaland

@DebHaalandNM | @RepDebHaaland

Xavier Becerra, HHS Secretary

He is the first Latinx Secretary of the Health and Human Services Department.

@XavierBecerra | @AGBecerra

@HHSGov

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, Supreme Court

She is the first Black woman to sit on the Supreme Court. She succeeded Justice Stephen Breyer who retired in January.

@USSupremeCourt

Cecilia Rouse, CEA Chair

She is the first Black person to chair the White House Council of Economic of Advisors (CEA). This made her the top economist on the Biden-Harris team.

@CeciliaERouse@WhiteHouseCEA

Katherine Tai, US Trade Representative

She is the first Asian American and the first woman of color to serve as the U.S. Trade Representative, our lead negotiator in trading.

No Twitter. Wait, what?! | @WhiteHouse

Cori Bush, MO-01

She is the first Black congresswoman to represent a Missouri district. On Twitter, she paid tribute to the first Black woman elected to Congress 52 years - to the day - before her, Shirley Chisholm.

@RepCori | @CoriBush

Ritchie Torres, NY-15th

He is the first gay Black person elected to Congress. He shares this with Rep. Mondaire Jones (NY-17).

@RepRitchie | @RitchieTorres

Mondaire Jones, NY-17th

He is the first gay Black person elected to Congress. He shares this with Rep. Ritchie Torres (NY-15).

@RepMondaire | @MondaireJones

Marilyn Strickland, WA-10th

She is one of the first Korean-American women elected to Congress and she is Washington state's first Black congresswoman.

@RepStricklandWA | @StricklandforWA

New Mexico Congressional Reps

New Mexico is the first state to have elected all women of color to the House of Representatives, including Deb Haaland (NM-01, now Interior Secretary) and Teresa Leger Fernandez (NM-03).

@SecDebHaaland | @DebHaalandNM | @RepDebHaaland

@RepTeresaLF | @TeresaForNM

Adeoye Owolewa, shadow House Rep. for DC

He is the first Nigerian-American elected to U.S. Congress.

@AdeoyeOwolewa

Madinah Wilson-Anton, Delaware State Legislator

She is Delaware's first Muslim Legislator.

@MadinahForDE

Sarah McBride, Delaware State Senator

She is the country's first transgender state Senator.

@SarahEMcBride

Daniella Levine Cava, Miami-Dade Mayor

She is the first woman to be elected mayor of Miami-Dade county.

@MayorDaniella

Michele Raynor-Goolsby, Florida State Legislator

She is the first queer Black woman to hold any political office in Florida.

@RepMKRG | @MicheleForFL

Shevrin Jones, Florida State Senator

He is the first gay Black person to be elected to the Florida state Senate.

@ShevrinJones

Kim Jackson, Georgia State Senator

She is Georgia's first LGBTQ+ state Senator.

@KimForGeorgia

Stephanie Byers, Kansas State Legislator

She is Kansas' first transgender state Legislator - she is the first trans Legislator in the entire Midwest.

@ByersForKansas

Jabari Brisport, New York State Senator

He is the first gay Black member of the New York state Senate.

@JabariBrisport | @JBrisport

Nikil Saval, Pennsylvania State Senate

He is the first South Asian American elected to the Pennsylvania state Senate.

@SenatorSaval@NikilSaval

Torrey Harris, Tennessee State Legislator

He is the first gay Tennessee state Legislator - he is also the first LGBTQ+ legislator. He shares this with state Rep. Eddie Mannis.

@TorreyHarris901

Eddie Mannis, Tennessee State Legislator

He is the first gay Tennessee state Legislator - he is also the first LGBTQ+ legislator. He shares this with state Rep. Torrey Harris.

@EddieMannis

Taylor Small, Vermont State Legislator

She is the first transgender person elected to the Vermont state Legislature.

@TaylorSmallVT

Tarra Simmons, Washington State Legislator

She is the first former inmate elected to the Washington state Legislature.

@TarraSimmons5@ElectTarra

And, of course:

Major Biden, First Dog

He is the first shelter dog to call the White House home.

@MajorBiden | @ChampBiden

Willow Biden, First Cat

The first cat to call the White House home; apparently Willow the cat interrupted one of Dr. Jill Biden's speeches during a campaign stop in 2020, and that led to Willow's adoption.

#COTUS

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Photos are c/o Twitter