Colorado elects first openly gay governor Jared Polis

The state of Colorado made history Tuesday night after voters elected the first openly gay governor.

Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Polis, 43, defeated Republican state Treasurer Walker Stapleton, keeping the governor's seat in Democratic hands. He succeeds the term-limited John Hickenlooper.

Polis is a five-term congressman and technology entrepreneur who promised to fight for universal health care, renewable energy standards and publicly funded preschool and kindergarten. He vowed to stand up to President Donald Trump's efforts to dismantle former President Barack Obama's health care law.

Stapleton is a two-term state treasurer who campaigned on defending Colorado's constitutional restrictions on taxing and spending. The 44-year-old Stapleton insisted Polis' ideas for funding K-12 education, roads and energy would bankrupt the state.

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