A transgender woman notched a historic win in Utah's Democratic primary, and will go on to challenge conservative GOP incumbent Sen. Mike Lee in November.
The Salt Lake City Tribune reports Misty Snow is the first transgender nominee from a major party to run for a U.S. Senate seat — and shares the distinction of being the first transgender person to run for Congress with Misty Plowright, a transgender woman who won the Democratic nomination in a conservative Colorado district on Tuesday.
"A lot of people have told me whether I win or lose, I'm already making a difference just by running," Snow, who ran on a progressive platform, tells the newspaper.
Snow's victory over marriage therapist Jonathan Swinton marked another milestone in her surprising political run this year, entering the race as a relative unknown before narrowly losing to Swinton at the state party convention in April, forcing a primary.
She ran on a platform of raising the minimum wage and advocating for women's rights and the LGBT community and telling voters that Swinton's values were too conservative.
On Tuesday, Snow vowed to make the race competitive against Lee, who was unopposed on the Republican side.
"This shows LGBT people that being LGBT is not a barrier to running for political office," Snow said. "You can be you, and people will respect you for that."
A recent poll commissioned by the Salt Lake City Tribune and the Hinckley Institute of Politics gives Lee a 51 percent to 37 percent lead over Snow.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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