Election
Gay Native American Sharice Davids Heading to Congress
In a history-making win, Davids unseated Republican incumbent Kevin Yoder in Kansas.
November 06 2018 10:36 PM EST
May 31 2023 8:02 PM EST
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In a history-making win, Davids unseated Republican incumbent Kevin Yoder in Kansas.
Not only did Democrat Sharice Davids unseat Republican incumbent Kevin Yoder in Kansas's Third Congressional District Tuesday, but she also made history becoming Kansas's first LGBTQ member of Congress and the first Native American woman elected to Congress.
Davids, a former mixed martial arts fighter, ran on a platform to "ensure every student has access to public education, every American has access to affordable health care, every DACA recipient is protected and has a pathway to citizenship, and every LGBTQ person has full federal protections through the Equality Act," according to a press release from Human Rights Campaign.
"Sharice Davids made history tonight as the next congresswoman from Kansas, showing the Trump-Pence administration that LGBTQ people of color are here, visible and that our fight for equality continues to move forward," HRC president Chad Griffin said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Yoder, a four-term incumbent with the endorsement of Donald Trump, was considered vulnerable as a Republican in his district, which includes Kansas City. The district narrowly voted for Hillary Clinton over Trump in the 2016 presidential election, according to CNBC.
"Tonight, Kansas voters gave the boot to a Trump ally and replaced him with a groundbreaking LGBTQ leader who spoke her truth throughout the campaign," LGBTQ Victory Fund president and CEO Annise Parker said in a press release.
"Sharice won the hearts of voters by putting forward a positive and solutions-oriented agenda while explaining how her experiences as a Native American LGBTQ woman influenced her policy positions and beliefs," Parker added.