Jess Herbst, pictured here at the 2017 Black Tie Dinner, lost her bi today to become the first openly transgender person elected to public office in Texas.
Jess Herbst, 59, who came out as transgender shortly after being appointed mayor of New Hope, Texas in 2016, today lost her re-election bid. Angel Hamm, 42, wife of the late mayor who died suddenly shortly before the 2016 election, won this year’s election. Melissa Brown, 42, came in second.
According to Dallas Morning News, Hamm has refused the DMN’s requests for interviews throughout her campaign. She also has not made any mention of Herbst’s gender identity during the campaign. An anonymous mailer, however, sent to voters in recent weeks focused on Herbst’s social media postings and sparked debate over the attention that media coverage of her transition has brought to the town.
Herbst congratulated Hamm on her win and told DMN she was glad that her candidacy had helped bring out voters in record numbers for this election. Turnout was at 38 percent.
