Page 14 - BEQ Magazine Vol3 Iss4

Tammy Baldwin
Twitter: @SenatorBaldwin Angie Craig Sharice Davids
Twitter: @AngieCraigMN Twitter: @sharicedavids

Kate Brown
Twitter: @OregonGovBrown

Maura Healey Dana Nessel
Twitter: @maura_healey Twitter: @dananessel

Victory Fund propels

“RAINBOW WAVE”

LGBTQ elected officials poised for change

The 2018 election was a histor- “From the U.S. Congress to dates endorsed by the organization.
By Jessie Wagoner
ic one for the LGBTQ community governors’ mansions to state legisla- All endorsed candidates are fea-
with 160 LGBTQ candidates at all tures and city councils, we are mak- tured on the organization’s website
levels of government elected to of- ing historic inroads and growing and some endorsed candidates have
fice on November 8th. our political power in ways unimag- access to campaign fundraising and
These candidates were all inable even a few years ago,” said communication support to assist
backed by Victory Fund, an orga- Annise Parker, President & CEO of their campaign. During the 2018
nization that supports and endorses LGBTQ Victory Fund. “An unprec- election cycle, Victory Fund invest-
LGBTQ candidates. Founded in edented number of LGBTQ candi- ed more than $2 million in its en-
1991 by LGBTQ activists and do- dates ran this year, fueled by attacks dorsed LGBTQ candidates.
nors, Victory Fund works to change on our equality from the federal At the national level, eight open-
the face and voice of America’s government and state legislatures, ly LGBTQ candidates have won
politics and achieve equality for but driven by a desire to better the their races for the U.S. House and
LGBTQ Americans by increasing lives of all constituents regardless of one is still too close to call – en-
the number of openly LGBTQ offi- sexual orientation or gender identi- suring a historic number of open-
cials at all levels of government. ty. We shattered lavender ceilings, ly LGBTQ candidates in the U.S.
When Victory Fund was found- achieved historic firsts and brought Congress next year. Three of the
ed there were less than 50 openly more LGBTQ representation to LGBTQ candidates won seats cur-
LGBTQ elected officials across legislative bodies across the nation, rently held by Republicans, one
America at any level of government. which will help push equality for- won in a key swing district held by
With the final votes counted in the ward.” a retiring Democrat, and four were
2018 election, a total of 160 Victory Nearly three decades after it incumbents.
Fund endorsed LGBTQ candidates launched, Victory Fund now in- “We needed more LGBTQ can-
won their races, more than tripling cludes a network of supporters who didates not just because our com-
LGBTQ representation. pledge to support LGBTQ candi- munity needs us, but because Amer-

14 | December 2018 businessequalitymagazine.com