Oklahoma Elects Openly Gay State Senator
BY Nick Visser
February 15 2012 5:12 PM ET
Oklahoma voters have elected their first openly gay state senator, current state representative Al McAffrey, according to Gay Politics.
"The people of Senate District 46 have put their faith in me to represent them in our state legislature," McAffrey wrote on his Facebook page following the victory. "I do not take their faith in me lightly or for granted. I am committed to fighting for the values that define our district: fairness, equality and moving Oklahoma forward."
McAffrey, a Democrat, was the first openly gay person elected to the state legislature following a 2006 campaign for a seat in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. He was reelected in 2010 before deciding to run in a special election for a vacant seat in the Senate, and won nearly 67% of the vote in Tuesday's election.
“Al’s election to the state Senate is another milestone for LGBT Oklahomans, and we are proud to support his campaign,” said Chuck Wolfe, president of the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, which backed McAffrey’s campaign. "There are still a number of states that have never elected any openly LGBT state legislators, so Oklahoma can be proud that Al has been elected to both the House and the Senate.”
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