SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, June 29, 2016 (Gephardt Daily) — A Harmons grocery store clerk named Misty Snow is making headlines nationally and internationally as the first transgender woman to win a major party’s nomination for a seat in the United States Senate.

Tuesday evening, Utah Democrats chose Snow as the party’s nominee to challenge Republican Sen. Mike Lee.

She told supporters, “This shows lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender people that being LGBT is not a barrier to running for political office. You can be you, and people will respect you for that.”

Lee is wrapping up his first term in the U.S. Senate, where he is considered to be one of the most conservative members. Lee is a Tea Party favorite who endorsed Ted Cruz’s presidential campaign this spring.

Shortly after Snow announced her intention to run for office this spring, she called Lee “probably the second most loathsome guy in the United States Senate, behind Ted Cruz…. He is wrong on every issue I care about. He is a horrible guy.”

Snow didn’t campaign on her transgender status, but admits her supporters feel she’s already made a statement with her candidacy.

“You know they say I’m making a difference just by running, whether or not I win or lose.”

The 30-year-old Snow began living openly as a woman in 2014. She didn’t attend college because she says she wasn’t sure what she wanted to do with her life.

The other transgender candidate named Misty to prevail in her primary Tuesday evening was Misty Plowright. The 33-year-old IT specialist will take on Republican House Rep. Doug Lanborn in her district, near Colorado Springs, Colo.

Plowright describes herself on a campaign website:

“Misty is many things: An Army veteran, a self-educated woman, a member of the LGBTQ+ community, and a passionate social democrat.”

Lanborn was first elected in 2006 in a district that has been in Republican hands for decades.

The Snow and Plowright are running for office in a year when transgender issues have gained prominence on the national, state, and local campaign trails.