Although counting was still underway in the 2022 midterm elections, voters delivered a series of firsts for members of the LGBTQ community nationwide.

Among the winners elected to office are first-time members of Congress, transgender trailblazers and lesbian governors. The wins - in local and national races alike - come on the heels of midterm elections shaped in part by debates over LGBTQ rights.

At least 340 out LGBTQ candidates had won their elections as of 2 a.m. Wednesday, surpassing the previous record of 336 candidates set in 2020, according to the LGBTQ Victory Fund, a political action committee focused on election LGBTQ candidates.

On the Nov. 8 ballot were 678 lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer candidates - an 18% increase from 2020, when 574 candidates ran for office, according to the group.

"We are already calling this year a 'Rainbow Wave' - with more wins to come," Albert Fujii, Victory Fund press secretary, told USA TODAY Wednesday.

“Tonight’s Rainbow Wave is a clear rebuke to the increased homophobia and transphobia sweeping our communities - and proves voters want to elect qualified LGBTQ leaders," Fujii said. "With so much at stake this election, from the future of marriage equality to abortion, LGBTQ candidates’ grit and exceptional grassroots support is paying off.”

National organizations voiced enthusiasm for the winners Wednesday morning, including the Human Rights Campaign and the National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund.

"Those gears of progress continued turning tonight, as LGBTQ+ voters turned out in larger numbers than ever before for a nonpresidential election - and as LGBTQ+ candidates for the first time appeared on ballots in every state across the country," said Joni Madison, the interim president of the Human Rights Campaign, in a statement Wednesday.

Here are some projected standout winners:

Nation's first openly lesbian governor elected Democrat Maura Healey was elected governor of Massachusetts becoming the country's first openly lesbian governor:

“To every ... little LGBTQ kid out there - I hope tonight shows that you can be whomever you want to be,” Healey said in her victory speech.

She also tweeted, "To every little girl out there, we want you to know - there's no ceiling you can't break."

Another lesbian gubernatorial candidate, Tina Kotek of Oregon, could join Healey's spot in history once votes have been tallied. The election is currently too close to call, according to the Associated Press.

First trans man in state legislature, Democrat James Roesener, a bisexual transgender man, was elected to New Hampshire House of Representatives, District 22 Ward 8. He is the first openly transgender man to win in any state legislature election.

First out LGBTQ immigrant elected to Congress, Democrat Robert Garcia, who is gay, was elected in the race for California's 42nd congressional district. He is currently the mayor of Long Beach. According to his online bio, Garcia immigrated to the United States at age 5 and was raised in Southern California.

First openly gay person elected in Vermont, Democrat Becca Balint was elected in Vermont to the U.S. House of Representatives. She is the first woman and openly gay person to represent the state in Congress.

First out lesbian Latina elected to state legislature, Democrat Patricia Contreras is one of the first out lesbian Latinas elected to the Arizona House of Representatives.

First out LGBTQ woman to serve in the Iowa Senate Democrat Liz Bennett, who identifies as a queer woman, was elected to the Iowa State Senate, District 39. She currently serves in the state House of Representatives.

Notable reelections

In Missouri: Democrat Ashley Bland Manlove was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives, District 26. Manlove was first elected in November 2018 to a two-year term, and she is the first openly LGBTQ woman of color to serve in Missouri's General Assembly.

In Pennsylvania: Democrat Jessica Benham was reelected as a state Representative in House District 36. She is the first bisexual woman to be elected to the Pennsylvania Legislature.

In New York: Democrat Jabari Brisport was reelected to the state Senate, District 25. In 2020, he won his Democratic primary, becoming the first openly queer person of color elected to the New York Legislature.