 |
| Jared Polis |
According to the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, Jared Polis, a 33-year-old businessman from Boulder, Colorado is well on his way to becoming the first openly gay man elected to Congress as a non-incumbent. On Tuesday night, Polis won the democratic primary to fill Rep. Mark Udall’s seat in Congress by defeating Joan Fitz-Gerald, the former State Senate president, and Will Shafroth, a conservationist.
“I think this sends a signal to young gays and lesbians across the country that they can consider a career in public service and they shouldn’t be scared away from that merely because of their sexual orientation,” said Mr. Polis, who introduced his partner, Marlon Reis, during a raucous victory party on Tuesday night.
Speaking about the monumental nature of Polis’ achievement, Chuck Wolfe, president of the Victory Fund, which endorsed Polis, said, “Jared’s election is a victory for democracy,”
“Gay Americans are woefully underrepresented in our government. Jared’s victory brings us one step closer to fulfilling America’s promise of a truly representative government.”
Polis, who made millions as the co-founder of the online greeting card Web site, bluemountain.com, reportedly spent more than $5 million of his own money on his campaign which was no doubt a key factor in his victory over more entrenched politicians in the state.
If elected in November, which seems likely given that his district is primarily democratic, Polis would join Reps. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Barney Frank (D-Mass.) as the only openly gay or lesbian members of Congress. Polis would also have the distinction of being only the sixth openly gay person to serve in the House of Representatives.
Though there have been five other gay and lesbian members of Congress, all but Ms. Baldwin did not go public with their sexuality until after they were elected.
