First Republican in Congress to Support Same-Sex Marriage

U.S. CongresswomanÂ Ileana Ros-Lehtinen has just announced she will not seek re-election next year. The Florida Representative was the first Republican in Congress to support same-sex marriage, theÂ first Cuban American and first Latina elected to Congress, the first Republican woman elected from Florida to Congress, and currently is the most senior Republican woman in the House.

â€œIt’s been such a delight and a high honor to serve our community for so many years and help constituents every day of the week,â€ Ros-LehtinenÂ told the Miami Herald. â€œWe just said, â€˜It’s time to take a new step.â€™â€

Hillary Clinton beatÂ Donald Trump in her district by 20 points.

Ros-Lehtinen first began her public serviceÂ in the Florida House in 1982, and went to Congress in 1989.

In December of 2011 she became the first Republican in Congress to support same-sex marriage, co-sponsoring the Respect for Marriage Act. She also has been a co-sponsor of ENDA, andÂ theÂ Student Non-Discrimination ActÂ (SNDA), which would protect LGBT students in public schools from discimination.

She also is one of the few Republicans who has called for action on climate change.

In 2015 she recorded this videoÂ congratulating her transgender son, Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen, for winning the SAVE 2015 Champions of Equality Award.

There’s a good chance Democrats could pick up this seat next year.

UPDATE:

Nate Silver concurs:

Likely will be a Democratic pickup. Retirements like these can turn smaller midterm waves into bigger ones. https://t.co/uyg9n67x4U â€” Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) April 30, 2017

Â

To comment on this article and other NCRM content, visit our Facebook page.

This is a breaking news and developing story. Details may change. This story will be updated, and NCRM will likely publish follow-up stories on this news. Stay tuned and refresh for updates.