Virginia state Del. Danica Roem (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
VIRGINIA | Virginia state Del. Danica Roem (D-Manassas) won re-election Nov. 2.
The Manassas Democrat defeated Republican Christopher Stone, who is a U.S. Air Force veteran, by a 54.4-45.6% margin with 22 out of 24 precincts in the 13th District reporting.
Roem in 2017 became the first openly transgender person elected and seated in a state legislature in the U.S. Roem two years later became the first out trans state legislator to win re-election.
“For a third time, the people of the city of Manassas Park and the western Prince William portions of Haymarket, Gainesville and my lifelong home of Manassas have supported our message of making Virginia a more inclusive commonwealth, where we build up our infrastructure instead of tear down each other,” said Roem in a statement.
LGBTQ Victory Fund President Annise Parker applauded Roem’s re-election.
“Danica’s voters again chose a qualified trans leader over an anti-LGBTQ opponent—rejecting the so-called ‘culture wars’ that aim to divide, not improve people’s lives,” said Parker in a statement. “While Danica’s energies are focused on her district, the impact of her leadership resonates across the country. Danica exemplifies the winning recipe for trans candidates: Exemplary constituent services and a hyper-focus on the issues that matter. She has inspired dozens of trans people to run for office across the country and each victory is certain to inspire more.”
