James Roesener
American politician
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
James Leon Roesener is an American politician who serves in the New Hampshire House of Representatives from the 22nd district in Merrimack County, as a member of the Democratic Party. He was the first openly transgender man elected to any state legislature in the United States.
James Roesener | |
|---|---|
Roesener in 2025 | |
| Member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives from the Merrimack 22nd district | |
| Assumed office December 7, 2022 | |
| Preceded by | Matthew Pitaro |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1995 or 1996 (age 29–30)[1] |
| Party | Democratic |
Early life
James Leon Roesener[2] first learned what transgender meant at age 12. He attended high school within the Merrimack Valley.[3]
Career
In the 2022 election, Roesener ran for a seat in the New Hampshire House of Representatives from the 22nd district in Merrimack County with the Democratic nomination and defeated Republican nominee D. Soucy.[4][5] Roesener was inspired to run after Roe v. Wade was overturned by Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization and in response to anti-LGBT legislation across the United States. His victory made his the first openly transgender man elected to a state legislature in the United States.[1] He defeated Republican nominee Dennis Blankenbeker in the 2024 election.[6][7]
During Roesener's tenure in the state house he has served on the Fish and Game committee.[3]
Personal life
Roesener is openly transgender and bisexual. He is married.[1][8]
Political positions
Roesener supports Medicaid coverage for abortions.[8] In 2023, Roesener was among 14 transgender and non-binary legislators across the United States that signed a letter opposing changes to Title IX by President Joe Biden that would allow schools to ban individual athletes if they were believed to have a competitive advantage.[9] He participated in a protest against the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement in 2026.[10]
Electoral history
| Year | Office | Party | Primary | General | Result | Ref. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | % | P. | Total | % | P. | ||||||
| 2022 | New Hampshire House of Representatives (Merrimack 22) | Democratic | 301 | 99.34% | 1st | 954 | 55.47% | 1st | Won | [4][5] | |
| 2024 | New Hampshire House of Representatives (Merrimack 22) | Democratic | 432 | 99.54% | 1st | 2,231 | 55.76% | 1st | Won | [6][7] | |
See also
- Gerri Cannon and Lisa Bunker, first transgender members of the New Hampshire House of Representatives
- List of transgender public officeholders in the United States