A transgender woman made history after defeating a longtime conservative lawmaker for a seat in Virginia’s legislature in Tuesday’s election.
Democratic candidate Danica Roem, a journalist, unseated Republican incumbent Del. Bob Marshall who has served in the House since 1992.
She has become the first openly transgender person to serve in the House of Delegates, according to the Victory Fund, an LGBT advocacy group that endorsed Roem, 33.
Marshall, 73, has previously attacked Roem’s gender identity in campaign ads and interviews, and also referred to himself as the state’s “chief homophobe.”
He also received backlash for sponsoring a bill that would restrict bathrooms for transgender people. The proposal was eventually rejected.
Roem, however, was focused on jobs, education and traffic congestion during the race.
And Tuesday night proved victorious for Roem, who had discussed her gender identity on the campaign trail.