After viewing the results of the recent midterm election, I cannot help but notice the changes that are present in America’s politics. In this election, we have the first openly gay man, Jared Polis, to be elected as governor. Equality for all people, especially the LGBT+ community, is a well debated topic within politics. It is one thing to have someone believe in and work towards equality but it is another to have a minority voted into running our country.
On November 6th, Colorado voted in Jared Polis as governor. Polis as governor is a big deal for America, because he is the first openly gay man to win an election. There have been many debates in politics about accepting the LGBT+ community and this is a big step in that direction for America. Before being elected, he served on multiple committees, including the Committee on Education and the Workforce and Committee of Ethics. He is a Democrat who has strong beliefs about education in America. He has founded two public charter school networks and works to better fund the public school system. Polis believes that education should be the top priority in the nation’s agenda and that “we need an entrepreneurial approach to solving the pressing problems facing public schools tied with increased investment.”
Besides education, Polis works towards protecting the environment, giving affordable healthcare to all Americans, improving our immigration policies, equality for the LGBT+ community and civil rights. Each of these topics bring many different perspectives and debates into consideration throughout politics. Polis views America as beautiful and something to protect for the people of our country. “America is a beautiful, innovative country, but for too long, we have ignored the poisonous pollution leaking into our skies and rivers” Polis stated. He fights for cleaner water and air, as well as preserving the natural land and public resources. Not only is the climate a priority for Polis, but the people are too. He believes that healthcare should not only be affordable, but also high quality.
He supports Medicare and the Affordable Care Act and works to help our future generations. When it comes to immigration, he believes that our system is broken and needs to be acted upon. He says that we need to bring people out of the shadows, secure our borders and support more legal pathways for immigration in order to fix our immigration system. As for the LGBT+ community and civil rights, he notices that America has always been symbolized as a place for people of all different backgrounds to come to for equality. However, we have denied certain rights for people throughout history. He works to put a stop to discrimination by bringing out laws that align with our values. He joined with others in 2015 to create the Equality Act to bring protection for minority groups who are discriminated against.
As for Polis’s personal life, he was born and raised in Colorado. His parents were artists so he traveled around the country for their jobs. Now, he is an entrepreneur who has started several successful businesses, which he started doing in college. The first business he started was called American Information Systems which allowed people to have internet in their homes for the first time. He also moved his parents’ greeting card business online which made it accessible to more people. He also has a partner named Marlon, who also grew up in Colorado who he has two children with who are ages seven and four.
Sources: U.S. Representive Jared Polis 2nd District of Colorado, Jared Polis for Colorado
Grace Nealy 
Jason Karch 
Josh Steen