Healey, Kerrigan Win Statewide Primary Bids in Massachusetts

Maura Healey is one step closer to being the first LGBT state attorney general in the U.S. after winning the Democratic primary in Massachusetts Tuesday.

Healey won with 62 percent of the vote against former state senator Warren Tolman, who was initially the front-runner in the race. She is favored to win against Republican John Miller in the November general election.

Healey has worked in the Massachusetts attorney general's office for seven years, and five years ago, she led the first successful challenge to overturn section 3 of the so-called Defense of Marriage Act, which prevented the federal government from recognizing same-sex marriages through federal programs and benefits. She was also part of the legal team that filed briefs in several marriage equality cases, including the challenges to California's Proposition 8.

Meanwhile, Steve Kerrigan won the Democratic primary Tuesday night for the state's lieutenant governor position. If elected, he would be the first openly gay lieutenant governor of any state. He will run alongside Democratic gubernatorial nominee Martha Coakley, who also has championed marriage equality in the state and federally through legal challenges.

Gay Republican Richard Tisei ran unopposed in the primary for the Sixth Congressional District and now faces Seth Moulton in November's general election. They are vying for the same seat Tisei ran for in 2012, a race Tisei narrowly lost.

In addition to Healey and Kerrigan, State Senate primary victories went to Harriette Chandler, Sonia Chang-Diaz, Eric Lesser, and Barbara L'Italien. Evandro Carvalho, Dan Cullinane, Mike Day, Marjorie Decker, Michelle DuBois, Gloria Fox, Mary Keefe, and Steve Ultrino won their bids for House seats. MassEquality executive director Kara Coredini trumpeted several primary wins across Massachusetts on Tuesday.

"Massachusetts has emerged from Tuesday night with a promise to continue its legacy as a history-maker, and it's imperative that supporters of fairness, inclusion and opportunity double down in the weeks ahead to make that promise real," Coredini said in a statement Tuesday night.

According to the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, 14 of the organization's endorsed candidates in five states won primaries on Tuesday night.