November 7th was Election Day in the United States. Although this was an off-year election— meaning it was a year without a presidential election—the results of the elections were just as, if not more, important. Why? Because the results of these local, county, and state elections could be a sign of things to come. Will Democrats make a comeback, or will Republicans continue to dominate?
Here are some highlights from elections across the country:

By Edward Kimmel [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

By U.S. Department of State – http://germany.usembassy.gov/about/ambassador/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=11291241
In both Virginia and New Jersey, Democrats won the gubernatorial races.

The people of Minneapolis, Minnesota, voted for Andrea Jenkins, the city’s first openly transgender person of color, to its city council.

The people of Seattle, Washington, voted for Jenny Durkan to be their first openly lesbian mayor.

The people of Charlotte, North Carolina, voted for Vi Lyles to be their mayor. She will be the city’s first female African-American leader.

The people of New Jersey also voted for Sheila Oliver to be their Lieutenant Governor. She will be the state’s first ever African-American Lieutenant Governor.