Victory in the News

Victory Fund announces ‘Ten Races to Watch’

A gay Republican seeking office in the Nevada State Legislature and a gay politician vying to become mayor of a Kentucky city are among the candidates the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund is highlighting as part of its recently announced “Ten Races to Watch.”

On Monday, the Victory Fund identified the names of ten endorsed candidates in races that the organization believes could have a significant impact on LGBT community.

The ten candidates represent a portion of the 164 candidates the organization has endorsed in all of 2010 and more than 100 candidates who are facing election in November, according to the Victory Fund.

In a statement, Chuck Wolfe, the Victory Fund’s president, predicted that 2010 will be “a banner year” for the organization and its mission to elect openly LGBT people to public office.

“We know out elected officials can be a leading political indicator of real change, so it’s exciting to see so many candidates stepping up to run for office this year,” Wolfe said.

The Victory Fund statement highlights each of the candidates running in the “Ten Races to Watch” in alphabetical order:

Chuck Wolfe: A Banner Year for Gay Politics

This year may not turn out to be the best one for congressional Democrats, but it’s likely to be a historic one for openly LGBT candidates across the country.

The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund has endorsed 163 out candidates for offices ranging from local school boards to Congress, making this our largest endorsement slate ever. But the numbers alone don’t describe how transformative some of these races may be, especially in places and offices that have never had openly LGBT office holders.

Of course last Tuesday brought one of the year’s biggest victories; Providence, R.I., Mayor David Cicilline won the Democratic primary to replace Rep. Patrick Kennedy in the House of Representatives. In deep blue Rhode Island, this win means David is well-positioned to become the fourth sitting openly gay Member of Congress, joining Reps. Tammy Baldwin, Barney Frank and Jared Polis.

Steve Pougnet is the Democratic nominee for Congress in the 45th Congressional District in California. The current mayor of Palm Springs could become the first openly gay parent in Congress if he defeats the incumbent, Rep. Mary Bono Mack.

Adding more out members of Congress will further expose their straight colleagues to the reality of who we are. When the House debates things like partnership rights or military service, they’ll be talking about the lives and experiences not only of some abstract community, but of colleagues who may be standing next to them on the House floor. There is tremendous power in that.

But congressional politics are only part of the story. Victory Fund candidates are seeing success in key states where legislatures are close to enacting laws that will represent concrete progress toward full equality for LGBT people, and their voices will be vital in those debates.

In Maryland, three gay and lesbian candidates are set to join four out incumbents in the state legislature, giving the state an unprecedented seven openly LGBT lawmakers. This is phenomenal news for same-sex couples who will be pushing for a marriage equality bill next year--a bill Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley has promised he’ll sign.

In Ohio, Nickie Antonio will take a seat in the State House after winning her hard-fought primary. She faces no general election opponent, so she will become the first openly LGBT member of the Ohio state legislature. It’s likely lawmakers will again try to pass legislation banning employment discrimination against LGBT people, and Nickie’s voice will figure prominently in that fight.

In Colorado, Lucia Guzman won her primary to keep the State Senate seat she was appointed to earlier this year. Her win this November will give Colorado four gay or lesbian state lawmakers next year, when advocates will try to finally pass a bill protecting the rights of same-sex couples.

And last Saturday in Hawaii, the state’s two out legislators won tough re-election primaries. They’ll likely try again next year to pass a sweeping civil unions bill, and this time Gov. Linda Lingle won’t be around to veto it.

Our progress demands our participation in the political process--not just as advocates or lobbyists, but as voting representatives of our local communities and the LGBT community. Pro-equality legislation is far more likely in places where out candidates run and win, so much so that it has become a leading political indicator of progress to come.

When they win, these candidates and dozens more like them around the country won’t represent victories just for a party or even a set of policy goals. They’ll become the face and voice of the LGBT community in the places where they serve. They’ll become our most important champions for real change, for true equality and for the idea that all Americans deserve the rights and responsibilities our Democracy promises.