Joanna Whaley, a former megachurch pastor, has secured the Democratic nomination for the second district of the Michigan statehouse after winning a primary election on Tuesday. Whaley comfortably defeated former state representative Frank Liberati and Gary Schlack.
Her victory positions her to become the first transgender member of Michigan’s state legislature. Earlier this year, Liberati challenged Whaley's ballot eligibility over her name change, but the Wayne county clerk’s office dismissed the challenge, deeming her candidate affidavit legal.
Sarah McBride, the first openly transgender member of the US Congress, congratulated Whaley on X, stating she "defeated that former Dem legislator (who took the low road against her) by 30+%!" Whaley, 38, spent two decades as a pastor at an evangelical megachurch and endured 15 years of Christian conversion therapy before transitioning.
Whaley will now face Republican Ronald Kokinda in the 3 November general election to replace Tullio Liberati in the statehouse.