When Jared Polis was declared the winner of Colorado’s race for governor on Tuesday night, it meant that the state remained in Democrat hands.

His predecessor, the widely admired John Hickenlooper, had served two terms and was unable to run again.

But his election was about more than that.

Mr Polis, a 43-year-old entrepreneur, has become the first openly gay governor in US history.

It’s somewhat ironic that his victory was in Colorado – a state where a baker’s refusal to make a cake for a gay wedding has been taken up by the Supreme Court.

"I think it really gives Colorado an opportunity to stick a thumb in the eye of Mike Pence, whose view of America is not as inclusive as where America is today,”…