Billie Butler, a transgender woman who ran for the New Hampshire House of Representatives as a Democrat, defeated her opponent, Republican Ken Hilton, in a special election held this past Tuesday. Butler won with 964 votes to Hiltons 774. Butler will be representing the Strafford 12 district.Strafford 12 is a multi-member district in Strafford County, consisting of two towns: Rollinsfield and Somersworth. Of the registered voters in the districts, 33% identify as Democrats, 27% identify as Republicans, and 41% are unaffiliated. Related New Hampshire Republicans pass 3 anti-trans bills in one day The bills attack trans rights to an equal education and health care. Previously, the position of House Representative was held by Dawn Evans (D), who resigned after moving out of the district. A special election was held to fill the spot. Butler, a transgender woman active in the Seacoast theater community, ran on a campaign advocating strongly for arts and culture. Insights for the LGBTQ+ community Subscribe to our briefing for insights into how politics impacts the LGBTQ+ community and more. Subscribe to our Newsletter today Butler told Fosters Daily Democrat that she would like to see more people run who do not have divisive agendas, but who really love New Hampshire. I dont look at this like national politics, because it isnt. Our legislators are our neighbors, our friends.Hilton is the chairman of the Strafford County Republican Committee and owns a plumbing company in Somersworth. His campaign is characterized by his call for limited government.Despite Butlers desire for the election to focus on issues instead of personal attacks, conservatives took it upon themselves to create a website mocking Butler for her identity as a trans woman. Many saw it as a low blow, and they received harsh criticism.Its hateful, but worse: it completely misrepresents me and my values, Butler said of the website. Hilton said he had not seen the website and did not want to.Ultimately, conservatives lost the election, and Butler would be sworn in as the first out trans New Hampshire House member in the only New England state to hold a conservative majority. Following her victory, Butler said she was humbled by the support she had received and vowed to balance the legislature in New Hampshire.According to this map created by independent journalist Erin Reed, New Hampshire is a high-risk state for legislation that could harm transgender people. New Hampshires Republican party holds a majority in both the state House and state Senate, and the Republican governor, Kelly Ayotte, has expressed her opposition to laws protecting trans students privacy and supports laws outing trans youth to their families.For this reason, Butlers win is considered a step towards increased trans representation in politics. Of the few openly transgender state representatives in the United States currently, Democratic state Rep. Zooey Zephyr of Montanas 95th district refused to back down after being censured by colleagues in 2023. When asked for comment by PinkNews at the time, she stated Republican attacks on the LGBTQ+ community were an attempt to drum up a bogeyman to distract from their inadequate solutions to major crises in our state.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.