On January 8th, 2019, history was made both nationally and in the state. It’s when Colorado’s new governor, Jared Polis, was sworn into office. Polis’s election was significant for the nation because he is the first openly gay man elected governor. He is also the first Jewish person elected governor of Colorado.

When Polis was running for office, he found that the voters didn’t particularly care that he was gay. According to the New York Times, he realizes that the voters didn’t really care. “This has been a much bigger deal nationally,” Polis said. Many of his coworkers wouldn’t have known he was gay because he doesn’t conform to the typical stereotypes. It was important to his campaign that people didn’t vote for or against him because he was gay. In the end, the voters didn’t even care.

Polis is a member of the Democratic party, and he promises Colorado that he will fight for lower healthcare costs, full-day free kindergarten, and full parental leave. He also plans to reduce Colorado’s carbon footprint by using more renewable energy sources and lower income taxes for families and small businesses, according to the Denver Post.

Jared Polis has already made history just by his election. He hopes to have a good first year as Colorado’s governor. According to the Denver Post, he’s optimistic about what he can accomplish in his first year serving Coloradans.