Misty Plowright

{{Infobox candidate

| name = Misty Plowright

| image = Plowright campaign portrait 1.jpg

| caption =

| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1983}}

| birth_place = California, U.S.

| party = Democratic

| spouse = {{marriage|Lisa Wilkes|2014}}

| allegiance = {{flag|United States}}

| branch = {{flag|United States Army}}

| serviceyears = 2003–2004

}}

Misty Dawn Plowright (born 1983){{cite news |title=In Colorado's Conservative 5th, Misty Plowright Is Building Her Campaign On The Long Odds |work=CPR News |date=October 17, 2016 |first=Vic |last=Vela |url=https://www.cpr.org/2016/10/17/in-colorados-conservative-5th-misty-plowright-is-building-her-campaign-on-the-long-odds/}} is an American political activist. She is one of the first two openly transgender people in the United States to become a candidate representing a major political party for a national office, the other being Misty Snow.{{cite web |title=Two transgender candidates named Misty nominated in Colorado, Utah primaries |work=Fox News |date=June 28, 2016 |url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/two-transgender-candidates-named-misty-nominated-in-colorado-utah-primaries}}{{cite web |title=Utah's Misty Snow makes history as Democrats' transgender Senate nominee |date=June 29, 2016 |first=Matt |last=Canham |work=The Salt Lake Tribune |url=https://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=4060147&itype=CMSID}} She was the first openly transgender candidate to win a major party primary for the House of Representatives.{{cite web|author=Maria L La Ganga in Denver |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2016/jul/04/transgender-nominee-congress-misty-plowright |title=Transgender nominee for Congress: 'It's about damn time' politics got inclusive | Society |work=The Guardian |date= 4 July 2016|accessdate=2016-07-10}} She went on to challenge incumbent Republican Doug Lamborn representing {{ushr|CO|5}} in the 2016 general election.{{cite news |title=Democratic Candidates Named Misty Just Made Transgender History |date=June 29, 2016 |website=slate.com |first=Ian Prasad |last=Philbrick |url=https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2016/06/misty-snow-and-misty-plowright-just-made-transgender-history.html}} Plowright lost to Lamborn on November 8, 2016.{{cite news |title=Two transgender candidates defeated in groundbreaking congressional bids |first=Nick |last=Duffy |date=November 9, 2016 |website=pinknews.co.uk |url=https://www.pinknews.co.uk/2016/11/09/two-transgender-candidates-defeated-in-groundbreaking-congressional-bids/}}

Early life and career

Plowright was born in California, and at the age of four moved to northwest Arkansas where she was raised as a Southern Baptist. She is a U.S. Army veteran, serving as an Information Systems Operator/Analyst from 2003 to 2004. After sustaining a non-combat injury, she was honorably discharged and went on to work in information technology.{{cite web |title=Meet Misty |website=Misty for Congress |url=http://mistyforcongress.com/meet_misty |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20170103222513/http://mistyforcongress.com/meet_misty |archive-date=January 3, 2017 |access-date=July 2, 2016 |url-status=live }}

=Congressional campaign=

{{see also|2016 United States House of Representatives elections in Colorado#District 5}}

Plowright announced her campaign for {{ushr|CO|5}} on March 18, 2016 via Facebook.{{cite news |url=https://www.facebook.com/MistyForCongress/posts/1668335450099328|title=This will likely come as a shock to many of you... |work=Facebook |last=Plowright |first=Misty |date=March 18, 2016 |url-status=}}{{deadlink|date=September 2023}} Her official campaign website was launched on March 31, 2016, the International Transgender Day of Visibility.{{cite web |title=Transgender Day of Visibility |website=Misty for Congress |url=http://mistyforcongress.com/news/transgender-day-of-visibility |archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20170103230926/http://mistyforcongress.com/news/transgender-day-of-visibility |archive-date=January 3, 2017 |access-date=October 4, 2021 |url-status=live }} She ran as a progressive and was openly supportive of Bernie Sanders's presidential campaign.{{cite web |title=Voter Guide: U.S. House District 5 Democratic primary |work=The Denver Post |date=June 8, 2016 |url=https://www.denverpost.com/2016/06/08/qa-test-democratic-u-s-house-district-5-primary/}} After he{{Cite web |last=Post |first=Jennifer Brown {{!}} The Denver |date=2016-10-25 |title=Colorado's first transgender candidate for Congress challenges Lamborn in state's most conservative district |url=https://www.denverpost.com/2016/10/24/misty-plowright-doug-lamborn/ |access-date=2025-01-05 |website=The Denver Post |language=en-US}} lost the nomination to Hillary Clinton, she was considering voting for Green nominee Jill Stein, stating that she would only vote for Clinton if she "actually truly believed that Trump was Hitler 2.0 and he was actually going to do that level of evil."{{cite news |title=How Hillary Clinton Is Trying To Win Over Millennial Skeptics |date=August 22, 2016 |work=NPR |first=Asma |last=Khalid |url=https://www.npr.org/2016/08/22/490948939/how-hillary-clinton-is-trying-to-win-over-millennial-skeptics}}

Plowright lost to incumbent Doug Lamborn in the general election, who won his sixth term. She conceded the race the next day.{{cite web |title=Thank you all! |publisher=Facebook |date=November 9, 2016 |first=Misty |last=Plowright |url=https://www.facebook.com/Misty.D.Plowright/posts/1770271176572421}}

Personal life

Plowright lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado with her wife, Lisa. The couple entered a domestic partnership in Seattle in 2010. After changes in legislation, they were legally married in 2014. They are in a polyamorous relationship with their mutual partner, Sebastian.

Electoral history

{{Election box begin no change |title=2016 Colorado's 5th congressional district Democratic primary{{cite web |url=http://results.enr.clarityelections.com/CO/61960/173504/Web01/en/summary.html |title=June 28, 2016 Primary Election Official Results |publisher=Colorado Secretary of State |access-date=20 July 2016}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

|party = Democratic Party (US)

|candidate = Misty Plowright

|votes = 13,419

|percentage = 58.15

}}{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Democratic Party (US)

|candidate = Donald E. Martinez

|votes = 9,658

|percentage = 41.85

}}{{Election box total no change

|votes = 23,077

|percentage = 100.00

}}{{Election box end}}

{{Election box begin no change |title=2016 Colorado's 5th congressional district election{{cite web|url=http://results.enr.clarityelections.com/CO/63746/184388/Web01/en/summary.html |title=Official Results November 8, 2016 General Election |publisher=Colorado Secretary of State |access-date=December 14, 2016}}}}

{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change

|party = Republican Party (US)

|candidate = Doug Lamborn (incumbent)

|votes = 225,445

|percentage = 62.28

}}{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Democratic Party (US)

|candidate = Misty Plowright

|votes = 111,676

|percentage = 30.85

}}{{Election box candidate with party link no change

|party = Libertarian Party (US)