It looks like Congress will soon have a new homo-politico.

Colorado-based Jared Polis won his Congressional primary last night, beating out long-time lawmaker Joan Fitz-Gerald. An entrepreneur who also sat on his state's Education Board, Polis based much of his campaign on Iraq and environmental sustainability. And, from the sound of it, his constituents liked what they see.

Fitz-Gerald pulled out before all the votes had been counted, when Polis had forty-three percent of the vote, while she had thirty-nine.

Accepting the Democratic nomination last night, Polis spoke of breaking boundaries: "This election cycle, a lot of barriers are being broken. At the congressional level, we are showing that people are willing to elect a candidate based on their values and ideas and not their sexual orientation."

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Above you see a picture of Colorado-politico Jared Polis in Iraq last year. The never-ending war has become a cornerstone in Polis' Congressional campaign, perhaps because of his parents' past opposition to the Vietnam War, a vicarious history Polis cites as one the main components of his political activism.

Of course, the war hardly counts as Polis' only political interest. The 32-year old, who made a fortune riding the world wide web, has long been active in his state's educational evolution, both in elected office on the Board of Education and through his own eponymous foundation. The Colorado native also toots his environmentalist horn.

In fact, the issue is number one on his website:

Preserving our natural resources for future generations is a critical priority. As a matter of personal and collective integrity, we need to stand up for the environment by initiating and supporting policies that emphasize sustainability through innovation and collaboration.

That said, it comes as no surprise that a report on Polis' previous oil and mining investments caused a bit of stir yesterday.

Polis addressed that report in this exclusive interview with our editor, Andrew Belonsky. The boys talked more than just investments, of course, like Polis' Barack Obama endorsement, how Colorado reflects the United States and, yes, whether this peace-loving Boulder-resident has ever taken a toke.

Read all about it, after the jump…

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Colorado Congressional hopeful Jared Polis and his staff have quite a mess on their hands.

The millionaire homo has previously come out against fellow Democratic opponent Joan Fitz-Gerald for taking money from oil and mining companies, which are notoriously dirty industries.

A Denver Post report, however, shows that Polis' financial dealings aren't as clean as he'd like voters to believe…

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Coloradan congressional candidate and openly gay man Jared Polis got a bit of gay-baiting last week. The distasteful drama started when a Polis mailer used an image of American soldiers raising a flag over Iwo Jima. Polis' ad, however, superimposed controversial security force Blackwater's logo over the stars and stripes. The mailer read, "When American troops risk their lives for our freedoms it's heroic. When companies risk American lives for their profits it is anything but". While this may be true, Colorado Veterans for America - which supports Polis' rival, Joan Fitz-Gerald - ain't happy and have accused Polis of defacing the flag. Member Jim Hudson, meanwhile, questioned Polis' commitment to the country.

"When he was over in Iraq, who provided his security?" Hudson asked. "If these security companies weren't doing it, who would? It would require that we have more young people in the military."

Hudson, a former solider, took his critique of Polis one step further in a telephone interview with The Denver Post, questioning why Polis, who is openly gay, hasn't served in the military.

"He says that he has to 'tell' that he's gay," Hudson said. "I can tell you, when I served in Vietnam, I served with many gays, and was honored to do so. And they didn't feel compelled to make an issue of their orientation, because, I presume, that they thought it was more important that they serve their country."

Polis was quick to reply, calling Hudson comments "homophobic":

This is the kind of homophobic comment that we have worked so hard to overcome in order to reach some sort of tolerance in America. I was in ROTC as a college student and the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy of the military definitely played into my decision to not continue my training. I don't feel that anyone - man or woman - should have to pretend or hide who they are to serve our nation and I look forward to a time when gay men and women can serve openly in our military.

I ask Joan Fitz-Gerald to disassociate herself with this obviously homophobic group.

No word on whether Fitz-Gerald will honor Polis request. It's not as if the CVA can really do that much damage: they've only got 2,000 members!

Evangelical-heavy Colorado once led the front in anti-gay politics. Now, fifteen years after citizens voted to prohibit pro-gay discrimination laws*, homo-politico Jared Polis finds him locked in a fierce battle for a Congressional seat. While one may expect his homosexuality to be a key issue in the campaign, the Denver Post reports that it's, well, not noteworthy:

The fact that Polis is gay has hardly come up in Colorado — minus some derogatory name-calling on a right-wing blog — where he is locked in an intense, ultra-expensive primary battle to replace Senate contender Mark Udall.
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When voters ask him if he's married, sometimes Polis says no, and sometimes he tells them he can't get married because he's gay.

"I try to treat my orientation the same way I would if I was straight, which is to talk about it when it's relevant," he said.

Capturing deep-pocketed gay activists matters more in this race than collecting the "gay vote," since there aren't vast numbers of gay voters in Adams, Weld and Boulder counties, said Steve Welchert, a Democratic political consultant.

Plus, Welchert said, politics have evolved past the point of all blacks supporting Obama, all women supporting Clinton and all gay people backing Polis. The gay factor is not key in the campaign, he said.

"It's just not an issue," Welchert said.

Polis' sexuality isn't just a non-issue with straight folk, but with gay activists, as well. Former ally and mega-gay-millionaire Tim Gill decided to endorse Polis' rival, the equally gay-friendly Joan Fitz-Gerald.

The state's Supreme Court overturned that ruling, by the way…