Vermont has elected a gay man, Michael Pieciak, as state treasurer.Pieciak, a Democrat, bested Republican H. Brooke Paige in the race to replace Beth Pearce, also a Dem, who did not seek reelection.Pieciak will be the first member of the LGBTQ+ community to hold the office.
He has held an appointed position as Vermont’s top financial regulator since 2016, and he helped lead the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
He and Erick Russell, just elected treasurer in Connecticut, will be the nation’s first two out state treasurers.This year also saw Vermont elect the first woman and first LGBTQ+ person to represent the state in Congress, Becca Balint, a lesbian and fellow Democrat.
As Vermont has just one U.S. House district, she and Pieciak will now be the state’s first two out statewide elected officials.At his victory celebration Tuesday night in Burlington, Piecak nodded to the historic nature of his election.