As all eyes are fixated on Harris and Trump battling for the presidential race, this upcoming election is an opportunity for many states to elect essential LGBTQ+ candidates.
Over 600 openly queer officials will appear on ballots across the country this year which is an increase from the 574 in 2020.
As of November 1, the American Civil Liberities Union documents 531 anti-LGBTQ+ bills to be up for approval nationwide. Here are some of the officials trying to break ground and up for election this season.
Sarah McBride
Delaware State Senator Sarah McBride (D) may make history this year as openly transgender member of Congress. In 2020, she became the highest ranking trans lawmaker in U.S. history, in 2020. Now, she’s facing off against Republican John Whalen III.
Evan Low
Evan Low is out to be the first LGBTQ+ Asian American elected to Congress from Northern California. Low, who is openly gay, is a member of the California Assembly and was previously a City Council member and mayor of Campbell, Calif. He’s running for U.S. House from the 16th Congressional District.
Malcolm Kenyatta
Up for the position of the auditor general of Pennsylvania, is Malcolm Kenyetta. If elected, he would be the first out statewide elected official. Kenyatta, a Black gay man, has been in the Pennsylvania House since 2018, representing a Philadelphia district, making him the first out Black LGBTQ+ state legislator there.
Emily Randall
If successfully elected, Washington State Senator Emily Randall (D) would become the first out LGBTQ Latina in Congress. She’s in the running from the state’s Sixth Congressional District. Additionally, she will also become the first woman elected in the district’s 90 year history if elected.
Tammy Baldwin
U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis) became the nation’s first openly LGBTQ senator in 2012 and was the first openly gay woman elected to Congress in 1998. This year, she’s running for her third term against Republican multi-millionaire Eric Hovde. This race has drawn national attention due to Hovde’s attack ads against Baldwin, which focus on her sexual orientation and her partner.
Lisa Middleton
Lisa Middleton aims to be California’s first out trans state legislator. She is running in the state’s Senate District 28 and is currently a member of the Palm Springs City Council and has been mayor there, as the position rotates among council members. For this seat, she is challenging Republican incumbent Ochoa Bogh.
Aime Wichtendahl
Aime Wichtendahl, a bisexual trans woman, is running for Iowa House from District 80 in the eastern part of the state and she could be the state’s first out trans state legislator. Wichtendahl is a member of the Hiawatha City Council, where she was the first out trans elected official in Iowa.
View the hundreds of other out LGBTQ+ candidates at the LGBTQ Victory Fund. If you are registered to vote, you can find your polling place here. VOTE TODAY!
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