Here’s some cool news out of Utah courtesy of BuzzFeed:
Utah Democrats on Tuesday voted for Misty Snow as their party’s nominee for Senate, the first out transgender nominee for Congress from a major party.
On Tuesday, Snow defeated Jonathan Swinton, described by the Salt Lake Tribune as a conservative Democrat and a 35-year-old Mormon marriage therapist.
Snow, the more liberal challenger to Swinton, is described as a cashier at a grocery store currently.
By early Wednesday, she had defeated Swinton 59.4%-40.6% in the returns, with all counties completed.
The 30-year-old Snow will face an uphill battle in the conservative state to unseat Sen. Mike Lee — one of the most conservative members of the Senate — in the fall.
On her website, she addresses her rare status as an out transgender person seeking office.
“There are some that claim that Utah is not ready for a candidate like me, but I strongly disagree. Utah is not only ready but in desperate need of a Senator exactly like me,” Snow writes. “We cannot wait for others to give us equality. We have to claim equality for ourselves.”
It's fair to say that this is an uphill battle for Snow but it’s also a race we should keep our eyes on. Salt Lake City recently elected their first openly gay mayor so who knows what could happen. Click here to learn more about Snow’s campaign.