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Third gay elected to Congress
11.04.2008 11:39pm EST
(Washington) Colorado Democrat Jared Polis will become the third openly gay member of Congress when he is sworn in in January.
Polis,
a 33-year-old entrepreneur who made millions creating Internet-based
businesses, beat Republican Scott Starin to represent the 2nd District
, which includes his hometown of Boulder.
He will join fellow Democrats Barney Frank (Mass.) and Tammy Baldwin (Wisc.) in the House.
There have been at least five other gays and lesbians in Congress,
including currently serving Reps. Frank and Baldwin. Frank came out
while in Congress. Baldwin was open about her sexuality when first
elected.
Frank and Baldwin had little difficulty Tuesday winning re-election.
Polis’ 2nd District is firmly Democratic, but he took no chances and
ran a strong campaign, putting much of his own money into the run. He
also had the support of the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund.
Previously, Polis was elected statewide to the Colorado State Board
of Education from 2001 - 2007. During that time he served a term as
vice-chairman and one as chairman.
In 2000, he founded the Jared Polis Foundation, which works to
improve and expand access to education. Its annual Teacher Recognition
Awards celebrate the enormous commitment and importance of teachers.
Hundreds of teachers and their schools receive micro-grants as part of
this program.
Polis came out publicly while serving on the Board of Education.
During his tenure on the Board, he successfully worked to establish
new ways to help schools close the learning gap, improved access to
online education, helped win increased funding for at-risk students,
and worked to improve teacher preparation programs at our colleges and
universities.
Polis also co-chaired a successful $300 million bond initiative in
the Boulder Valley School District to make repairs and upgrades to
learning environments across the district as well as improve energy
efficiency.
The only other candidate seeking a seat in Congress, Democrat Linda
Ketner, lost her bid for South Carolina’s 1st District. She ran against
four-term Republican incumbent Henry Brown.
AJ