Colorado's Jared Polis projected to be first openly gay man elected governor

Jared Polis is the projected winner of Colorado governor's race. With 84 percent of the votes in, NBC News projected Polis ahead of his Republican challenger, Walker Stapleton, with 51.6 percent for the vote.

Polis is set to become the first gay man elected governor in the U.S. He is the second LGBTQ person to be elected governor, after Gov. Kate Brown of Oregon, a Democrat who identifies as bisexual, in a special election in 2016. Brown was up for re-election on Tuesday.

Two other LGBTQ Democrats ran for governor this election cycle. Christine Hallquist of Vermont and Lupe Valdez of Texas were both projected to be defeated by their Republican challengers.

Polis’ historic gubernatorial run is part of the so-called rainbow wave — the record number of LGBTQ Americans who ran for office in 2018. The Victory Fund, which tracks LGBTQ political candidates, estimated that over 600 such candidates ran this election cycle, with nearly 400 making it to the general election.

Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign, a national LGBTQ advocacy group, applauded Colorado's voters for electing a "bold pro-equality champion."

“For nearly a decade in Congress, Jared Polis fought to advance fairness and equality in Colorado and across America," Griffin said in a statement sent to NBC News. "He is a proven leader who will take his commitment to securing full equality to the governor’s mansion and fight to make Colorado a stronger and more inclusive state.”

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

Polis has represented Colorado’s 2nd Congressional District for five terms. Prior to politics, Polis was a tech entrepreneur and amassed a fortune worth nearly $400 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. When asked about his status as one of Congress’ wealthiest members, Polis told NBC News, “I’m beholden to no one except voters.”

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

Colorado’s politics has shifted left as its population has surged with migration from progressive states like California, even as some of its rural population has emigrated out of state. A Colorado demography office predicted the state’s population of 5.6 million will increase by about a million per decade, topping out at over 8 million by 2050.

FOLLOW NBC OUT ON TWITTER, FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM