One History-Making Candidate On What’s At Stake In This Election

LGBTQ issues were in the spotlight at the Democratic National Convention last week, with the adoption of the "most inclusive and progressive" platform ever, a history-making speaker on the convention program, and a record number of trans delegates. But Misty K. Snow knows firsthand there's "still a lot of work to be done." And the outcome of the election could have a big impact on the progress. “We have an opportunity to continue moving forward on those issues, or we can move backwards," Snow, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Utah, told Refinery29. The 30-year-old Democrat is making history as the first transgender candidate for the Senate (she's one of two trans women running for Congress this year). If elected, Snow, who is currently a cashier at a grocery store, would also be the youngest member of the U.S. Senate. "I never really ran because I’m trans," she told Refinery29. “I was just kind of running because I care about issues like living wage and women’s rights…paid maternity leave, health care." Snow overcame the odds to make it to the general election — she says she won her primary with 59% of the vote despite being outspent 4-to-1 — but she acknowledges that she has an even tougher road ahead. She's running against incumbent GOP Sen. Mike Lee in a state where Democrats represent just 11% of all registered voters. Still, in a brief speech to the LGBT caucus last week, Snow urged people to support her campaign for reasons that go beyond the results on November 8. "Even if you don't think I can win, I am a voice of the LGBT community. I am a voice of the millennials. I'm also the voice of working people — I work at a grocery store — and I think we need more working people representation in government," she said.