Adding to what's
becoming a breakthrough primary season for openly gay
state legislators, Jolie Justus won the Democratic primary
for Missouri's 10th district state senate seat
Tuesday--which, since the district is heavily
Democratic, virtually ensures that she will become
Missouri's first openly gay state senator this November.
"In Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and now
Missouri, excellent candidates are winning historic
races," Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the Gay and
Lesbian Victory Fund, which backed Justus, said in a
statement. "Jolie's win is a testament to her courage,
commitment, and skill, but it also confirms that
fair-minded voters everywhere care more about good
government than they do about whether their
representatives are gay or lesbian."
Justus, who faces token Republican opposition in
the general election this fall, will join Jeanette
Mott-Oxford, an openly gay incumbent Missouri
house member, who also won her primary Tuesday. Other
breakthrough out candidates this election cycle include
Patricia Todd, the first openly gay elected official
in Alabama history; Kathy Webb, the first openly gay
elected official in Arkansas history; and Al McAffrey,
the first openly gay state legislator in Oklahoma history.
(The Advocate)