LGBT, Muslim and Women Candidates Make History in the 2018 Midterms
*By Chloe Aiello*
The 2018 Midterms may well go down in U.S. history as an election of firsts, with historic wins for Muslims, women, and LGBTQ candidates.
In Boston, city council woman Ayanna Pressley made history by becoming the first black woman the state of Massachusetts has ever sent to Congress. Pressley ran unopposed after she ousted 10-term incumbent Rep. Michael Capuano in the primaries.
In New York, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a 29-year-old Bronx native and self-proclaimed Democratic Socialist, [became the youngest women ever elected to Congress](https://cheddar.com/videos/cheddars-midterm-races-to-watch). She made headlines in September after a stunning primary upset over career politician and incumbent Rep. Joe Crowley.
Two Midwestern states will both be the first to send Muslim women to Congress come 2019. Ilhan Omar handily beat her Republican opponent and will go on to the House to represent Minnesota's fifth district, which includes much of Minneapolis. She will also be the first Somali-American in Congress.
In Michigan, voters elected Rashida Tlaib to fill a seat vacated by John Conyers, who resigned last year after allegations of sexual misconduct. Tlaib won by a landslide in a district that includes parts of Detroit and its suburbs.
Jared Polis made history in Colorado as the first openly gay man to be elected governor in the U.S. An early cannabis proponent, Polis ran on a progressive platform and replaced incumbent John Hickenlooper, who had reached his term limit.
Former President Donald Trump returned to a New York City courtroom Tuesday to watch the civil fraud trial that threatens to disrupt his real estate empire, renewing his claims that the case is a baseless and politically targeted distraction from his 2024 campaign.
President Joe Biden swept into wartime Israel for a 7 1/2-hour visit Wednesday that produced a heaping dose of vocal support and a deal to get limited humanitarian aid into Gaza from Egypt.
The Pentagon has sent “prepare to deploy” orders to about 2,000 U.S. troops to be ready to respond to the Israel-Hamas war, two U.S. officials said on the condition of anonymity to discuss a decision that has not been announced yet.
The head of Israel’s Shin Bet security service has taken responsibility for not warning of the bloody Oct. 7 Hamas rampage that killed over 1,400 Israelis.
Republicans rejected Rep. Jim Jordan for House speaker on a first ballot Tuesday, as an unexpectedly numerous 20 holdouts denied the hard-charging ally of Donald Trump the GOP majority needed to seize the gavel.
The federal judge overseeing the 2020 election subversion case against Donald Trump in Washington imposed a narrow gag order on him on Monday, barring the Republican former president from making statements targeting prosecutors, possible witnesses and the judge's staff.
A 71-year-old Illinois man accused of fatally stabbing a 6-year-old boy and seriously wounding a 32-year-old woman was charged with a hate crime Sunday.
