John,

I'm so excited to share that today, Victory Institute and Loyola Marymount University released When We Run, the largest ever survey of LGBTQ+ candidates for public office in the U.S. This groundbreaking survey asked LGBTQ+ candidates to describe their motivations for running, the challenges they faced and how their identities affected their campaigns. Read the full report here!

You can also read Victory Institute President & CEO Mayor Annise Parker's op-ed in USA Today here or watch our launch video here!

While the landscape for LGBTQ+ candidates is dramatically changed and more LGBTQ+ people are running than ever before, they are doing so in a super-charged political environment where LGBTQ+ people are frequent targets of hateful legislation and political attacks.

Results include:

• Almost half of LGBTQ+ candidates said a desire to increase LGBTQ+ representation in elected office was a top motivation (45.8%).
• Trans women (14.3%) and gender non-conforming, genderqueer and non-binary candidates (10.3%) were the most likely to cite anti-LGBTQ legislation as a top motivation to run.
• About a third of LGBTQ+ candidates (35.9%) were discouraged to run because of their sexual orientation, while almost one in five was discouraged because of their gender identity (17.5%).
• LGBTQ+ candidates of color – and especially Asian LGBTQ+ candidates (52.4%) – said their race or ethnicity was important or very important for them in their campaigns.
• More than eight in 10 LGBTQ+ candidates (84%) thought being LGBTQ+ made them a better candidate – with nearly three in five (59.5%) believing they were more empathetic toward the struggles of others because of their identity.
• More than one in four LGBTQ+ candidates reported prejudice because of their sexual orientation as a top challenge during their campaigns (26.4%).
• About one in three of all LGBTQ+ candidates felt their local political party was not supportive at all of their candidacy (37.1%).

Whether they’re running to fight bigotry or simply to serve their community, LGBTQ+ candidates are the best antidote against the homophobia and transphobia that’s increasingly present in the public square. When We Run shows us what we know is true of LGBTQ+ candidates: they remain highly motivated to run and improve their communities despite ongoing obstacles.

Voters are increasingly demanding a government more reflective of America, and LGBTQ+ leaders are stepping up to meet the challenge. If you can pitch in to support this work and our LGBTQ+ elected officials, we appreciate it!

Thanks for reading,

Elliot Imse
Pronouns: he|him|his
Executive Director, LGBTQ+ Victory Institute