HISTORIC: Christine Hallquist becomes the first transgender woman to gain the Democratic nomination for governor in Vermont.
By Guinivere Kimber, Staff Writer
On Tuesday, August 14, Christine Hallquist made history by becoming not only Vermont’s first transgender woman to win a gubernatorial nomination, but the country’s. In an interview with “Red & Blue” on CBSN, Hallquist said she was confident she would secure the nomination. “Vermonters are going to elect me for what I’m going to do for Vermont,” Hallquist said. “Vermont has always been a leader in civil rights. We have some of the best transgender protection laws in the country. It’s a state that’s really welcomed me with open arms.”
Hallquist isn’t wrong, as Vermont has been a leader of the progressive states since voting for President Clinton in 1992. In 2000, Vermont was the first state to establish civil unions and in 2007, Vermont passed anti-discrimination laws in all areas, including gender identity. More recently, Vermont granted legal access for everyone to “single gender-neutral restrooms” after incumbent governor Phil Scott signed the bill into law in May 2018.
With Vermont being a socially liberal state, Hallquist’s gender identity seemed to be in the periphery of many voters’ minds. Winning the primary with 48% of the vote, voters are focused on what Hallquist can bring to the table as governor. One of Hallquist’s key campaign pledges is to increase the speed of internet access, which is slow in some rural areas of the state, a promise Vermont governors have failed to deliver on before. Unlike prior governors in Vermont, Hallquist has a background to support her promise of faster internet access. Before running, Hallquist served as CEO of Vermont Electric Cooperative (VEC) for 12 years, dedicating that time to addressing how America uses electricity and how it contributes to climate change. Because of her work at VEC, Hallquist has earned the reputation of an energy pioneer, leading her company to become the first to use “smart grids,” grids built to decrease outages and increase the capacity for renewable resources.
With experience like Hallquist’s, securing the Democratic nomination was easy, as there were no big name competitors to lessen her chances. However, the next step for Hallquist could prove a bit trickier, beating incumbent governor Phil Scott in the next election. Republican Scott is running for a second term, and while Vermont is a largely progressive state, Vermont has a track record of reelecting its governors since 1962. This is not to say Scott doesn’t face his own challenges as well. After supporting and signing gun control measures earlier this year, Scott lost some of his popularity with Vermont’s Republicans. These are the same measures that Hallquist promises to build off of, garnering her even more support from her fellow Democrats and gun control supporters.
Going forward, Hallquist is likely to draw national attention and more funding given that her candidacy is historic. However, Hallquist isn’t doing it for the the fame, she’s doing it for the people. “I can handle all the bigotry and all the grief in the world to know that I’m supporting people in a marginalized community,” Hallquist said in an interview with TIME magazine, “It’s about all marginalized communities.”