Victory in the News

Lexington to become third-largest U.S. city with an openly-gay mayor

The Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, a Washington, D.C.-based group that endorses and supports openly gay candidates, had named Lexington's contest among the "Ten Races to Watch" across the country.

Denis Dison, vice-president of the Victory Fund, compared Gray to Annise Parker, another openly gay candidate whose election as mayor of Houston, Texas, in 2009 surprised many people.

"But she was very pro-business and pro-development," Dison said. "A lot of people would think of gay candidates as being left of center and that's not always the case. In Gray's case he's a businessman and he runs a large and successful company, and that would give business leaders more comfort."

Unlike the Lexington mayor's race, Parker's campaign was marked by anti-gay fliers around Houston.

"The fact that did not materialize in Lexington is a real credit to Mayor Newberry and to the community at large," Dison said.

The Victory Fund endorsed 164 openly gay candidates in Tuesday's election, and a record 106 of them were elected.

Dison said about 30 cities across the country, most of them small, have openly gay mayors.

Congress will now have four open gay or lesbian members

The Victory Fund, a national organization dedicated to nurturing and electing qualified LGBT candidates, pointed to other elections around the nation to claim a record number of gay and lesbian candidates winning office.

Kevin Lembo, for instance, won his race to become the Connecticut state comptroller, putting him among the few gay people elected to statewide office in the nation.

Laurie Jinkins of Washington, Marcus Brandon of North Carolina, Patricia Todd in Alabama, Kathy Webb and Jack Jackson, Jr. of Arizona, Ricardo Lara in California, Lucia Guzman in Colorado, Simone Bell and Karla Drenner in Georgia,  Matt McCoy in Iowa,  Stan Rosenberg and Carl Sciortino of Massachusetts, and Heather Mizeur and Mary Washington of Maryland all won races for their states’ legislatures, as did Scott Dibble in Minnesota, Jeanette Mott Oxford and Michael Colona of Missouri, Diana Sands of Montana, Frank Ferri, Gordon Fox and Deb Ruggiero in Rhode Island, Jason Lorber and Suzi Wizowaty of Vermont and Cathy Connolly in Wyoming.

Those are in addition to Nickie Antonio, Ohio’s first out state legislator, and other local officials elected across the nation.

None of the Republicans endorsed by the Victory Fund for state legislative races were successful.

Midterms a Mixed Bag for LGBT Equality

From the House of Representatives to Lexington, Kentucky, which just elected its first gay mayor, one of the most prominent groups tied to the victory of LGBT candidates is The Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund. This nonpartisan, federal, political, action committee funds, trains and promotes candidates for public office through donations, its Leadership Institute and a fellowship program. By focusing on politics through the endorsement and promotion of LGBT candidates, the fund seeks to gain equality for all LGBT people regardless of political affiliation.

In fact, since its 1991 founding, the fund's web site reads, "the number of openly LGBT elected officials serving in the U.S. has grown from 49 to more than 500." And the fund has backed many of them.

This campaign season, it backed a record 164 LGBT candidates, including Democrat, Republican and nonpartisan candidates - and saw a record 106 succeed. No Republican Congressional or state legislator backed by the fund, however, won election, according to Denis Dison, the fund's spokesperson.

Of its successes, the fund's CEO Chuck Wolfe said in a statement, "We can be proud that our community continues to expand its voice at all levels of government in America. Out public officials are having a sizable impact on the local, state and national debates about LGBT equality. Increasing their numbers is a vital part of a long-term strategy to change America's politics and make our country freer and fairer for everyone."

Gays Win Seats, but See House GOP Landslide as a Setback

The steps forward, he said, included the addition of the fourth openly gay member of Congress, Rhode Island Democrat David Cicilline, who will fill the seat vacated by Rep. Patrick Kennedy. Numerous local anti-discrimination ordinances passed, and according to a nationwide count by the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, 106 gay candidates won public offices.

Democrats Outrun by a 2-Year G.O.P. Comeback Plan

In early October, Chuck Wolfe, the chief executive of the Victory Fund and Leadership Institute, a group that supports gay candidates, offered some startling news to the campaign of Representative Barney Frank of Massachusetts, who represented what had for years been considered a reliably safe district.

Mr. Wolfe had been at a Capitol Hill restaurant the evening before and overheard a Republican advertising strategist discussing his new assignment, to attack Mr. Frank with an expected budget of $1 million and a strategy to “piss him off, because you know how Barney gets.” Mr. Wolfe said afterward, “That anybody thought Barney could be vulnerable in his district seemed surprising.” Mr. Frank survived.

Others were not so lucky.

Alameda County voters elect country's first transgender judge

Yet the congratulatory calls were already coming in and the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, which helped Kolakowski raise money for her campaign, featured her on a call with its major donors Wednesday.

Her campaign had attracted national attention, with the mainstream media playing up the history-making potential of her campaign. But Kolakowski said voters paid little attention to her transgender status and were more focused on her resume.

Gay-rights groups view election as major setback

In California's Alameda County, Victoria Kolakowski was elected a Superior Court judge; the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund said she is the first openly transgender trial court judge in America.

"There is no sugar-coating the loss of so many of our straight allies in Congress," said Victory Fund president Chuck Wolfe. "But we can be proud that our community continues to expand its voice at all levels of government in America."

Election Results: LGBT Leadership Orgs Need To Be Asking, “What Now?”

The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund today announced that more openly LGBT candidates won election to public office in the U.S. in 2010 than in any year in America’s history.

Victory Fund President and CEO Chuck Wolfe issued the following statement about the group’s success:

“There is no sugar-coating the loss of so many of our straight allies in Congress, but we can be proud that our community continues to expand its voice at all levels of government in America. Out public officials are having a sizable impact on the local, state and national debates about LGBT equality.  Increasing their numbers is a vital part of a long-term strategy to change America’s politics and make our country freer and fairer for everyone.  We will continue to focus on training committed, qualified candidates, and we will work hard to get them elected to public office.”

Record 106 gay candidates elected in 2010

A record number of openly LGBT candidates have been elected to public office in 2010, according to the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund.

“There is no sugar-coating the loss of so many of our straight allies in Congress, but we can be proud that our community continues to expand its voice at all levels of government in America,” said Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the Victory Fund. “Out public officials are having a sizable impact on the local, state and national debates about LGBT equality. Increasing their numbers is a vital part of a long-term strategy to change America’s politics and make our country freer and fairer for everyone. We will continue to focus on training committed, qualified candidates, and we will work hard to get them elected to public office.”

At least 106 of the group’s record-breaking 164 endorsed candidates were winners as of Wednesday morning, the Victory Fund said.

Perhaps the most pleasant surprise came in Lexington, Kentucky, where openly gay construction company executive Jim Gray won election as mayor. The Lexington Herald-Leader reported the news shortly after the polls closed at 6 p.m. Gray has been serving as the city’s vice mayor and defeated incumbent mayor Jim Newberry.

The paper said the campaign has been one of the most expensive in the city’s history and only the second time a sitting mayor has been defeated. The ballot in Lexington does not indicate party affiliation. According to results published by the Herald-Leader, Gray won with 53 percent of the vote, to Mayor Jim Newberry’s 46 percent. The Herald-Leader noted that Gray lost a bid for mayor in 2002, when his sexual orientation was not public. Gray came out before running successfully for an at-large seat on the Urban County Council.

In another southern state, North Carolina, openly gay candidate Marcus Brandon of High Point won his first-time run for state representative and, in doing so, becomes the state’s first openly gay legislator. According to the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, Brandon also becomes only the fifth openly gay African-American elected to a state legislature anywhere in the country. As of 10:30 Tuesday night, three hours after polls closed, the state Board of Elections showed Brandon with 70 percent of the vote, compared to Republican Lonnie Wilson. The race was to represent North Carolina’s District 60, which encompasses Guilford County in the middle of the state. Brandon told the News-Record newspaper of Greensboro that his sexual orientation was not a secret but that “This is not something I wanted to take over my campaign.”

“Nobody in a year-and-a-half ever asked me about my sexuality,” Brandon said, in an Oct. 15 blog by an editorial writer in which the paper noted his race was one of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund’s “Ten Races to Watch” this year.

Most LGBT Candidates Elected ever in 2010

The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund  today announced that more openly LGBT candidates won election to public office in the U.S. in 2010 than in any year in America’s history.

At least 106 of the group’s record-breaking 164 endorsed candidates were winners as of Wednesday morning, including Providence, R.I., Mayor David Cicilline (pictured), who will become the fourth openly gay Member of Congress when the House convenes in January.

Victory Fund President and CEO Chuck Wolfe issued the following statement about the group’s success:

“There is no sugar-coating the loss of so many of our straight allies in Congress, but we can be proud that our community continues to expand its voice at all levels of government in America. Out public officials are having a sizable impact on the local, state and national debates about LGBT equality.  Increasing their numbers is a vital part of a long-term strategy to change America’s politics and make our country freer and fairer for everyone.  We will continue to focus on training committed, qualified candidates, and we will work hard to get them elected to public office.”

Important 2010 election results include:

–David Cicilline’s election to Congress.  The Providence, R.I. mayor will be the fourth openly gay member of the U.S. House of Representatives, joining Reps. Tammy Baldwin, Barney Frank and Jared Polis, who each won reelection.

–Jim Gray’s election as mayor of Lexington, Kentucky, the state’s second-largest city.

–Nickie Antonio’s election to the Ohio House.  Antonio will be the first openly LGBT person to serve in the state legislature.

–Marcus Brandon’s election to the North Carolina House.  Brandon will be the state’s only openly gay state legislator and one of just five out African Americans to serve as state lawmakers.

–Victoria Kolakowski’s election as a Superior Court judge in Alameda County.  Kolakowski becomes the first openly transgender judge in America.

–Kevin Lembo’s election as Connecticut State Comptroller.  Lembo joins just a handful of openly LGBT candidates to have been elected to statewide positions.

–Laurie Jinkins’ election to the Washington State House.  Jinkins is Washington’s first openly lesbian state legislator, and could help her gay colleagues pass a marriage equality bill in the next legislative session.

–Maryland’s and California’s expanded LGBT state legislative caucuses.  Each will include seven openly gay and lesbian lawmakers.  In Maryland, the caucus is poised to help pass marriage equality legislation, which the reelected Gov. Martin O’Malley has vowed to sign.

–Dan Hill’s loss in his Nevada House race.  The Victory Fund’s endorsed Republican candidates for state legislative seats were not successful, meaning no openly LGBT Republicans will be serving as state lawmakers next year.

The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund is the only national organization dedicated to increasing the number of openly LGBT elected officials at all levels of government in the U.S.  It has grown that number from 49 to more than 500 since its founding in 1991.  A full 2010 Election Scorecard will soon be available at www.victoryfund.org.

Lexington's New Mayor

The Victory Fund, which first noted his success, included  a statement from Chuck Wolfe, its president and CEO, who said in the statement, "This is a tremendous victory for Lexington, for Kentucky’s LGBT community and for fairness. We are proud of Jim Gray and his fantastic campaign staff who fought hard for this win."

First Gay Winner of the Night

The first openly gay candidate to win an election Tuesday is Sen. Benjamin Cruz of Guam.

Cruz, a Democrat and the vice speaker of the Guam senate, was the author of Guam's contested civil union bill in 2009. He was formerly the chief justice of the Guam supreme court.

Cruz is not a Victory Fund candidate, but the group tweeted his victory early Wednesday morning Guam time (Guam is 14 hours ahead of Washington, D.C.).

Rep. Barney Frank Cruises to Victory, Cicilline to Join Him in Congress

The Victory Fund's president and CEO, Chuck Wolfe, celebrated Frank's victory, announcing  in a statement, "Barney Frank is nothing if not a fighter, and we're very happy he will return to the House and continue to fight for the people of Massachusetts and for all LGBT Americans.  Nobody has worked harder or longer in the U.S. Congress for fairness and equality for the LGBT community."

David Cicilline, the out mayor of Providence, Rhode Island, will join Frank in Congress in January. With 90 percent of the precincts in the district reporting, Cicilline is up by more than 8,000 votes at 10:30 p.m. with more than 50 percent of the vote. According to the Rhode Island Board of Elections:

David N. CICILLINE (DEM)     70230     50.6%
John J. LOUGHLIN, II (REP)     61668     44.5%
Kenneth A. CAPALBO (IND)     5611     4.0%
Gregory RAPOSA (Fox)     1190     0.9%

The Victory Fund's Wolfe said in a statement, "Mayor Cicilline will be a strong advocate for all Rhode Islanders, but he will also be an authentic voice for the millions of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans who long for the day when we will be treated equally under law."

Out Reps. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) and Jared Polis (D-Colo.) did not face races that even reached to the challenge that some had claimed Frank faced.

Polls, meanwhile, have not yet closed in out Democrat Steve Pougnet's challenge to Rep. Mary Bono Mack (R) in California.

Cicilline becomes 4th gay member of Congress

The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund is reporting that Providence Mayor David Cicilline has won his race for Congress in Rhode Island.

“Mayor Cicilline will be a strong advocate for all Rhode Islanders, but he will also be an authentic voice for the millions of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans who long for the day when we will be treated equally under law,” said Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the Victory Fund. “We are enormously proud of him and grateful to Rhode Island voters.”

Cicilline will join openly gay Reps. Barney Frank of Massachusetts, Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin and Jared Polis of Colorado, all Democrats.

And David Cicilline makes four (updated)

Chuck Wolfe, CEO for the Victory Fund, commended Cicilline for his victory in a statement.

“Mayor Cicilline will be a strong advocate for all Rhode Islanders, but he will also be an authentic voice for the millions of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans who long for the day when we will be treated equally under law,” Wolfe said. ”We are enormously proud of him and grateful to Rhode Island voters.”

Cicilline’s election positions him to become the fourth sitting openly gay member of the U.S. House when the 112th Congress begins in January. He’ll succeed Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.), who’s retiring from Congress at the end of this year.

The Providence mayor was seen as the favorite to win because he was running in Democratic stronghold and was seen as a powerhouse fundraiser. According to Federal Election Commission reports, Cicilline raked in nearly $1.7 million over the course of his campaign.

The Rhode Island politician earned the endorsement of many national LGBT organizations, including the Human Rights Campaign and the Victory Fund.

In a statement, Michael Cole, an HRC spokesperson, said he’s “thrilled” that Cicilline will join the members of Congress who are openly gay.

“No doubt he will carry on the record of retiring Rep. Patrick Kennedy in ensuring Rhode Island’s first district is represented by an effective congressman in promoting equality for all people,” Cole said.

Signs showed the race was tightening in the week before the election. While earlier polls showed Cicilline ahead of Loughlin by double-digit numbers, the lead dropped to single digits in some polls the week before the campaign.

The Loughlin campaign also engaged in what could be seen as gay-baiting in the weeks before the election. Loughlin ran ads emphasizing that he’s a husband and a father — possibly a reference to the fact that Cicilline is gay and single — and defended “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” during a debate.

Despite this win, the results on Election Day were unfavorable for other non-incumbent openly gay candidates seeking election to Congress.

Both were Democratic candidates who facing the challenge of unseating incumbent Republicans in traditionally GOP districts during an election that was seen as a Republican wave.

Steve Pougnet, who’s gay and mayor of Palm Springs, Calif., lost his bid to unseat six-term incumbent Rep. Mary Bono Mack (R-Calif.).

According to the California secretary of state’s web site, with 445 of of 624 precincts reporting, Bono Mack claimed 51.5 percent of the vote compared to the 42.1 percent of the vote earned by Pougnet. A third-party conservative candidate, Bill Lussenheide, won 6.4 percent of the vote.

Prior to the start of this Congress, Bono Mack had the support of many in the LGBT community for voting twice against the Federal Marriage Amendment. She also supported hate crimes legislation as well as a version of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act.

But the Republican lawmaker’s vote this year against “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal earned the rancor of many LGBT people. Others in the LGBT community also flocked to Pougnet because his election would have made him the first person in a same-sex marriage and the first gay father elected to Congress.

Pougnet lost the race even though he managed to be on par with Bono Mack in terms of fundraising throughout much of the campaign. According to FEC, the Democratic candidate raised nearly $1.7 million while Bono Mack raked in more than $2.2 million.

Both HRC and the Victory Fund had endorsed Pougnet in his bid and expressed disappointment in his loss on Election Day.

Cicilline Becomes Fourth Gay Rep

The 49-year-old mayor of Providence, R.I., survived a last-minute attack on his sexual orientation in the form of a flier reading, “Alert!!! Before you vote for U.S. Congress, you should know that ... John Loughlin is a husband and father and believes in traditional family values. ... Cicilline is an openly gay man who supports same sex marriage."

Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, welcomed the news.

“Mayor Cicilline will be a strong advocate for all Rhode Islanders, but he will also be an authentic voice for the millions of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans who long for the day when we will be treated equally under law,” said Wolfe. “We are enormously proud of him and grateful to Rhode Island voters.”

Openly gay candidates: Some surprise victories in 164 races

The results for some high profile openly gay candidates are often mixed, and they were Tuesday night—with nine of eighteen openly LGBT candidates winning. But there was one big surprise Tuesday night and one shining star and, overall, the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund reported that 106 of the 164 openly gay candidates running Tuesday won their races.

The big surprise came in Lexington, Kentucky, where openly gay construction company executive Jim Gray won election as mayor. The Lexington Herald-Leader reported the news shortly after the polls closed at 6 p.m. Gray has been serving as the city’s vice mayor and defeated incumbent mayor Jim Newberry. The paper said the campaign has been one of the most expensive in the city’s history and only the second time in history that a sitting mayor has been defeated. The ballot in Lexington does not indicate party affiliation. According to results published by the Herald-Leader, Gray won with 53 percent of the vote, to Mayor Jim Newberry’s 46 percent. The Herald-Leader noted that Gray lost a bid for mayor in 2002, when his sexual orientation was not public. Gray came out before running successfully for an at-large seat on the Urban County Council.

In another southern state, North Carolina, openly gay candidate Marcus Brandon of High Point won his first-time run for state representative and, in doing so, becomes the state’s first openly gay legislator in the state. According to the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, Brandon also becomes only the fifth openly gay African-American to a state legislature anywhere in the country. As of 10:30 Tuesday night, three hours after polls closed, the state Board of Elections showed Brandon with 70 percent of the vote, compared to Republican Lonnie Wilson. The race was to represent North Carolina’s District 60, which encompasses Guilford County in the middle of the state. Brandon told the News-Record newspaper of Greensboro that his sexual orientation was not a secret but that “This is not something I wanted to take over my campaign.”

“Nobody in a year-and-a-half ever asked me about my sexuality,” Brandon said, in an October 15 blog by an editorial writer in which the paper noted his race was one of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund’s “Ten Races to Watch” this year.

America Is So Post-Racial, We Don’t Even Need Black People in Our Senate

Also, more LGBT candidates than ever before were elected yesterday.

Victory Fund: Gay Providence, R.I., Mayor David Cicilline elected to Congress

News release from Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund:

Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, issued the following statement tonight about the election of Providence, R.I., Mayor David Cicilline to the U.S. House of Representatives (RI-1):

“Mayor Cicilline will be a strong advocate for all Rhode Islanders, but he will also be an authentic voice for the millions of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans who long for the day when we will be treated equally under law.  We are enormously proud of him and grateful to Rhode Island voters.”

KY jolly: Gay man to lead major Southern city

This just in from the Victory Fund:

Kentucky’s second-largest city has elected an openly gay man as its next mayor. Vice-Mayor Jim Gray was victorious tonight in his second campaign for the city’s top job, beating incumbent Mayor Jim Newberry.
BREAKING: Lexington, Kentucky elects openly gay mayor [Gay Politics]