Utah Elects First Openly Gay Mayor

After a close mayoral campaign, the Salt Lake City electorate chose Jackie Biskupski as the city’s new leader. This marks the first time that an openly gay person has been elected mayor in Salt Lake City and in the state of Utah, and only the second time a woman has held the position in the capital.

According to The Salt Lake Tribune, unofficial election night tallies saw Biskupski up 52.19 percent to incumbent two-term mayor Ralph Becker’s 47.81 percent.

“It’s about all these people in this room. Look at the people in this room,” Biskupski told the Tribune. “This is a diverse group of people from all over the city. This is about having a voice again.”

Additional voting results will be released on November 17.