Last Tuesday’s election in Virginia was undoubtedly a good one for Democrats. Not only did they manage to successfully install a successor of the same party to the governor’s mansion, they also still have a shot to flip the Virginia House of Delegates. Although we’re probably in for a contentious set of recounts in the unresolved races, when all is said and done, it’s safe to say it was a close race.
The Virginia House of Delegates also will be celebrating a historic first when Danica Roem is seated in January. The 33 year old made history as the very first openly transgender individual to be elected to the Virginia state legislature and is only the second nationwide to ever be elected.
The 14-term Republican incumbent she unseated, Bob Marshall, invited some particular comments about karmic retribution as he is one of Virginia’s most prominent anti-LGBTQ lawmakers. His record in the Virginia legislature includes writing Virginia’s now-defunct gay marriage ban and introducing a “bathroom bill” similar to the controversial one that roiled North Carolina last year. He also repeatedly insisted on using male pronouns to refer to Roem during the campaign and refused to debate her ahead of election day.
Of course, Roem was often quick to point out that the campaign was not just about identity, it was about policy. Which is absolutely true and you and her new constituents should absolutely care about the issues, like fixing Route 28, raising teacher salaries, and other important issues. But…
Another reason why we love Danica Roem is this. This is politician Danica:
And this is the Danica that music lovers and concert goers like us can really get behind:
Yeah, Danica Roem is also a member of the metal band Cab Ride Home. I couldn’t find any statistics about it, but I’m pretty sure she’s also Virginia’s first heavy metal star to be elected to any office.
Regardless of your party, politics, or anything else, it’s pretty cool to have a musician in office as a politician. Really breaks up the “older, male, straight, white lawyer” archetype most politicians identify with. Although I’m going to stop short of saying we should elect more musicians no matter what…
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