Brianna Titone
Brianna Titone (/tɪˈtoʊn/[1]) is an American politician and scientist, currently serving as a member of the Colorado House of Representatives from the 27th district.[2] Titone serves in the 74th Colorado General Assembly and is the first openly transgender state legislator elected in Colorado and the 4th elected in the United States.[3]
Brianna Titone | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Colorado House of Representatives from the 27th district | |
| Assumed office January 4, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Lang Sias |
| Personal details | |
| Born | New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | State University of New York, New Paltz (BS) Stony Brook University (MS) University of Denver (MS) |
Early life and education edit
Titone was born and raised in the Hudson Valley region of New York.[4][5]
Titone earned her bachelor’s degrees in geology and physics from the State University of New York at New Paltz, attending from 1996 to 2002.[3][6][7][8] Titone later earned a master's degree in geochemistry at Stony Brook University,[7] and another master's degree in information and communications technology at the University of Denver.[7] At Stony Brook, Titone’s master's thesis was on the rare-earth element thorium and speciation of fossils and sediments of the Green River Formation. Some of Titone’s research was conducted at Brookhaven National Laboratory using the National Synchrotron Light Source X-26A and X-18B beamlines.
Career edit
Before entering politics, Titone worked as a mining consultant, geologist, and software developer.[9][7][3] For seven years, beginning in high school, Titone was a volunteer firefighter.[3][6]
Politics edit
In 2016, Titone joined the Jefferson County, Colorado Democratic LGBT caucus and was elected its Secretary/Treasurer,[6][10] and later appointed a "captain at large".[6]
Titone declared a run for Colorado House of Representatives HD27 in December 2017. Titone received 50.4% of the vote to win the election with 24,957 votes out of 49,475, a margin of 439.[11] Titone serves on the Health and Insurance Committee, the Rural Affairs and Agriculture Committee, and the Joint Technology Committee,[12] and was also appointed to the Energy Council.
In the 2nd regular session of the 72nd General Assembly, Titone worked to bring back and pass the bill banning the "Gay or Trans Panic Defense". The bill passed on a margin of 98-1-1.[13]
Titone won re-election in the most competitive House race in Colorado, earning 29,566 (48.7%) of 60,708 votes against two opponents in the November 2020 election.[14]
In the 2022 general election, Titone was re-elected with around 57.7% of the votes cast.[15] Later in November, Titone was selected to serve as caucus chair of the state House majority which is a first for a trans lawmaker to serve in an elected leadership position in a General Assembly.[16]
Electoral history edit
2018 edit
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Brianna Titone | 9,893 | 100.0 | |
| Total votes | 9,893 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Brianna Titone | 24,957 | 50.44 | |
| Republican | Vicki Pyne | 24,518 | 49.56 | |
| Total votes | 49,475 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic gain from Republican | ||||
2020 edit
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Brianna Titone (incumbent) | 17,469 | 100.0 | |
| Total votes | 17,469 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Brianna Titone (incumbent) | 29,566 | 48.70 | |
| Republican | Vicki Pyne | 27,674 | 45.59 | |
| Libertarian | Cory Schaeffer | 3,468 | 5.71 | |
| Total votes | 60,708 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
2022 edit
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Brianna Titone (incumbent) | 9,586 | 100.0 | |
| Total votes | 9.586 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Brianna Titone (incumbent) | 26,380 | 57.74 | |
| Republican | Lynn Emrick | 18,169 | 39.77 | |
| Libertarian | Jacob Luria | 1,136 | 2.49 | |
| Total votes | 45,685 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratic hold | ||||
References edit
- ^ campaign ad, CBS Denver report
- ^ "Brianna Titone Makes History As First Openly Transgender State Legislator In Colorado". KCNC-TV, November 12, 2018.
- ^ a b c d Andrew Kenney, "Colorado’s first transgender legislator: How Brianna Titone flipped a Republican district", Denver Post, November 10, 2018
- ^ "Representative Brianna Titone: HD27". Representative Brianna Titone: HD27. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
- ^ "The Voter's Self Defense System". Vote Smart. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Mark Harden, Brianna Titone’s opponent concedes; Colo.’s first transgender legislator elected, November 11, 2018, The Gazette
- ^ a b c d Marianne Goodland, Meet Brianna Titone, Colorado’s first transgender lawmaker, November 24, 2018, The Gazette
- ^ "Alumni Notes". New Paltz: The Alumni Magazine. No. Spring and Summer 2019. p. 34.
- ^ Alex Burness, Brianna Titone, Colorado’s first transgender candidate for state office, declares victory in Arvada, November 8, 2018, The Colorado Independent
- ^ Rafaella Gunz, Meet Brianna Titone, the woman who could become Colorado's first trans state representative March 24, 2019, at the Wayback Machine, August 25, 2018, Gay Star News
- ^ "Colorado House of Representatives District 27". Ballotpedia. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
- ^ "Profile page for Representative Titone". Colorado General Assembly. Colorado General Assembly. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
- ^ "SB20-221 Details Page". Colorado General Assembly. Colorado General Assembly. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
- ^ "Profile page for Representative Titone". Ballotpedia. Ballotpedia. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
- ^ "Colorado State House - District 27 Election Results | Journal Sentinel". www.jsonline.com. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
- ^ Birkeland, Bente (November 12, 2022). "Colorado's new Democratic leaders are more diverse than ever, most are women". Colorado Public Radio. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
- ^ a b "Colorado House of Representatives elections, 2018". Ballotpedia. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
- ^ "June 30, 2020 Primary Election - State House". Colorado Election Results.
- ^ "2018 General Election Results - State Representative". Colorado Secretary of State.
- ^ "State Representative - District 27 - Democratic Party". Retrieved May 1, 2023.
- ^ "State Representative - District 27". Retrieved May 1, 2023.
External links edit
- Official website