Christine Hallquist, a former utilities executive, became the first transgender candidate in the nation to be nominated by a major party in a governor’s race, scoring a clear win over three Democratic challengers in primaries on Tuesday.
“We made history,” Hallquist told reporters after the Associated Press called the race at about 9:30 p.m. “Now we’re going to go on and make history in November.”
After winning Tuesday’s Democratic gubernatorial primary, Hallquist, 62, of Hyde Park, faces a new challenge: an uphill battle to unseat Gov. Phil Scott in the November general election.
As of midnight, the Vermont Secretary of State’s website had unofficial results of Hallquist winning more than 40 percent of the vote, with her leading competitors James Ehlers and Brenda Siegel trailing with about 18 percent each, with Ehlers narrowly ahead. Ethan Sonneborn, a 14-year-old high-schooler, had almost 7 percent (more than 4,500 votes).
Supporters and dozens of journalists packed into the Skinny Pancake in Burlington, where Hallquist hosted her victory party Tuesday evening. National media have trailed Hallquist in recent weeks, drawn to the historic nature of her run.
On Tuesday afternoon, Hallquist was humble about the prospect of her momentous primary win as the first transgender candidate to launch a gubernatorial race.
https://vtdigger.org/2018/08/15/hallquist-celebrates-historic-victory-trains-sights-scott/