Democrat Jared Polis Will Be Colorado’s First Jewish And Openly Gay Governor
Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) is running for governor in 2018. Image by Getty Images
Democratic Rep. Jared Polis will be the first Jewish and gay governor of Colorado.
Polis, a former tech mogul, will succeed John Hickenlooper. With 60% of the vote counted, Polis was leading 51.2%-45.4%.
The five-term congressman was the first openly gay person elected to Congress, according to the Forward. His campaign focused on renewable energy, education (he is a vocal supporter of charter schools), income inequality and cannabis advocacy. Polis cofounded the House Cannabis Caucus last year and has introduced bills that would regulate marijuana like alcohol.
He is also one of the wealthiest members of Congress — he founded an internet access provider while he was still a student at Princeton, which he sold for $23 million in 1998. A year later, he helped sell his family’s online greeting-card company for a whopping $780 million.
Alyssa Fisher is a news writer at the Forward. Email her at fisher@forward.com, or follow her on Twitter at @alyssalfisher
JTA also contributed to this report.
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