Who Is Jared Polis? Colorado Elects First Openly Gay Governor In America

Democrat Jared Polis won the Colorado governor’s race Tuesday, defeating Republican Walker Stapleton to become the first openly gay person to be elected governor in America.

“I also want to take a moment to acknowledge where we are and how we got here,” Polis said in a speech to his supporters. “Tonight in Colorado we proved that we're an inclusive state that values every contribution, regardless of someone's sexual orientation or gender identity.”

Polis received 51.6 percent (997,683 votes) whereas Stapleton received 45 percent (869,284 votes) out of a total of 1,933,463 votes (82 percent reporting, that is, 2,653 of 3,219 precincts), according to data provided by the New York Times.

Polis served in the House of Representatives since 2009. Throughout his campaign trail, he did not try to hide his sexual orientation. He sometimes used it to emphasize how he and President Donald Trump administration's were different.

“I think it really gives Colorado an opportunity to stick a thumb in the eye of Mike Pence, whose view of America is not as inclusive as where America is today,” Polis said during a speech this year.

He was not the first gay person to take office, but the first openly gay individual to have won a seat. Former New Jersey Gov. Jim McGreevey, who was a Democrat, came out as gay while he was in office in 2004. Another Democrat, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown, was openly bisexual, and this made her the first openly LGBTQ person elected as governor when she won in the 2016 elections.

Polis' sexual orientation was not a matter of discussion with his opponent, but that does not mean he was exempt from homophobic attacks. Vox reported homophobic bumper stickers against Polis were found in the state, which, according to a report in Vanity Fair, said, “Don’t vote for Jerod (sic) Polis or he’ll love your ass.”

The 43-year-old was the son of the founders of a greeting card and book publisher called Blue Mountain Arts and was born in Boulder, Colorado. During his high school years, he lived in San Diego, California, and graduated from La Jolla Country Day School in three years with multiple honors. He co-founded his first company, American Information Systems, while he was doing his Bachelors in Politics at Princeton University, according to his website. He was also named an “Entrepreneur of the Year” by Ernst and Young. Polis was also known for his philanthropic actions, and has received many awards for the same.

Polis ran a fairly progressive campaign and vowed to fight for Medicare-for-all. He backed investments in renewable energy, repeal of the death penalty, stronger gun laws, universal full-day preschool and kindergarten as an extension of Colorado’s public schools, and expanded broadband access throughout his campaign.

He has earned a name for himself as a progressive politician during his time in Congress, Vox noted. He supported marijuana legalization even before Colorado, which was one of the first states along with Washington State to vote to legalize pot.