In a sweeping victory for Democrats in Tuesday’s election, voters also made history by electing Luanne Peterpaul, the first openly LGBTQ woman to the New Jersey legislature. NJ Spotlight News sat down with Assemblywoman-elect Luanne Peterpaul to discuss the historic vote.
“We had a tremendous team behind us,” said Peterpaul. “It was a team that really worked together, almost like a family. We all believed in our messaging and the fact that we were telling the right things and speaking about the right things moving forward.”
In a race where parental notification policies for transgender and non-binary students loomed large, the Assemblywoman-elect said that her identity has nothing to do with the work she plans to do for the entire state.
“You know, being the first LGBTQ+ out lesbian elected to the legislature, it’s a part of who I am being gay,” she said. “But it wasn’t the issue that really thrust me into politics except on election night. It’s not just LGBTQ+ equality, but across the board, we are facing a lot of anti-semitism in today’s world. We need to look at each other and reach across the aisle and try and have a dialogue that’s not filled with vitriol.”
Peterpaul’s running mate Sen. Vin Gopal was re-elected by a landslide for a third term in the 11th district, one of the most hotly contested races this year. He said when it came to the election, “civility won out.”
