Misty Plowright
Misty Dawn Plowright (born 1983)[1] is one of the first two openly transgender people in the United States to become a candidate representing a major political party for a national office, the other being Misty Snow.[2][3] She was the first openly transgender candidate to win a major party primary for the House of Representatives.[4] She went on to challenge incumbent Republican Doug Lamborn representing Colorado's 5th congressional district in the 2016 general election.[5] Plowright lost to Lamborn on November 8, 2016.[6]
Misty Plowright | |
---|---|
Personal details | |
Born | 1983 (age 39–40) California, U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse |
Lisa Wilkes (m. 2014) |
Military service | |
Allegiance | United States |
Branch/service | United States Army |
Years of service | 2003–2004 |
Early life and career
Plowright was born in California, and at the age of four moved to northwest Arkansas where she was raised as a Southern Baptist. She is a U.S. Army veteran, serving as an Information Systems Operator/Analyst from 2003 to 2004. After sustaining a non-combat injury, she was honorably discharged and went on to work in information technology.[7]
Congressional campaign
Plowright announced her campaign for Colorado's 5th congressional district on March 18, 2016 via Facebook.[8] Her official campaign website was launched on March 31, 2016, the International Transgender Day of Visibility.[9] She ran as a progressive and was openly supportive of Bernie Sanders's presidential campaign.[10] After he lost the nomination to Hillary Clinton, she was considering voting for Green nominee Jill Stein, stating that she would only vote for Clinton if she "actually truly believed that Trump was Hitler 2.0 and he was actually going to do that level of evil."[11]
Plowright lost to incumbent Doug Lamborn in the general election, who won his sixth term. She conceded the race the next day.[12]
Personal life
Plowright lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado with her wife, Lisa. The couple entered a domestic partnership in Seattle in 2010. After changes in legislation, they were legally married in 2014. They are in a polyamorous relationship with their mutual partner, Sebastian.[7]
Electoral history
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic | Misty Plowright | 13,419 | 58.15 | |
Democratic | Donald E. Martinez | 9,658 | 41.85 | |
Total votes | 23,077 | 100.00 |
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Republican | Doug Lamborn (incumbent) | 225,445 | 62.28 | |
Democratic | Misty Plowright | 111,676 | 30.85 | |
Libertarian | Mike McRedmond | 24,872 | 6.87 | |
Total votes | 361,993 | 100.00 | ||
Republican hold | ||||
See also
References
- Vela, Vic (October 17, 2016). "In Colorado's Conservative 5th, Misty Plowright Is Building Her Campaign On The Long Odds". CPR News.
- "Two transgender candidates named Misty nominated in Colorado, Utah primaries". Fox News. June 28, 2016.
- Canham, Matt (June 29, 2016). "Utah's Misty Snow makes history as Democrats' transgender Senate nominee". The Salt Lake Tribune.
- Maria L La Ganga in Denver (July 4, 2016). "Transgender nominee for Congress: 'It's about damn time' politics got inclusive | Society". The Guardian. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
- Philbrick, Ian Prasad (June 29, 2016). "Democratic Candidates Named Misty Just Made Transgender History". slate.com.
- Duffy, Nick (November 9, 2016). "Two transgender candidates defeated in groundbreaking congressional bids". pinknews.co.uk.
- "Meet Misty". Misty for Congress. Archived from the original on January 3, 2017. Retrieved July 2, 2016.
- Plowright, Misty (March 18, 2016). "This will likely come as a shock to many of you..." Facebook.
- "Transgender Day of Visibility". Misty for Congress. Archived from the original on January 3, 2017. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
- "Voter Guide: U.S. House District 5 Democratic primary". The Denver Post. June 8, 2016.
- Khalid, Asma (August 22, 2016). "How Hillary Clinton Is Trying To Win Over Millennial Skeptics". NPR.
- Plowright, Misty (November 9, 2016). "Thank you all!". Facebook.
- "June 28, 2016 Primary Election Official Results". Colorado Secretary of State. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
- "Official Results November 8, 2016 General Election". Colorado Secretary of State. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
External links
- Official website Archived 2016-10-28 at the Wayback Machine