LGBTQ+ Stories You Should Know About

Victory in Georgia, Kentucky and Oregon!

We are excited to report that several of our candidates in Georgia, Kentucky, and Oregon won their primary elections on Tuesday!

In Georgia, Rashaun Kemp was the top vote-getter in his primary and will advance to a June 18th runoff, positioning him to become the first out gay Black man elected to the Georgia State Senate.

Emma Curtis also advanced from her primary for Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council and is one step closer to becoming the second out trans person elected in Kentucky!

Seven candidates were unopposed in their primaries and have advanced. Georgia State Senator Kim Jackson, as well as State Representatives Imani Barnes, Park Cannon, Karla Drenner, and Sam Park, and Judge Jane Morrison for Fulton County State Court.

In Oregon, State Representative Ben Bowman advanced and Springfield City Councilmember Kori Rodley won their general election!

Coming Up Next: Texas Special Elections and Pride Month Primaries!

Next Tuesday, three LGBTQ+ candidates will be running in Texas special elections! Spotlight candidate Molly Cook, running for a full term in the Texas State Senate, Spotlight candidate Lauren Ashley Simmons, running to defeat a bigot in the Texas State House, and Justice Maggie Ellis are all on the ballot!

Molly recently won the special election, officially securing this seat for the remainder of the term and making history as the first out LGBTQ+ person elected to the state senate! Now, she’ll be running to move onto the November ballot and secure the full four-year term. Molly is working to rally her voters once again!

Lauren Ashley Simmons' race has grown contentious. Not only has her opponent, incumbent candidate Shawn Thierry, not filed her campaign finance report (which is past deadline!), but mysterious signs with anti-LGBTQ dog whistles have popped up in the district. U.S. Representative Jasmine Crockett, who served with Thierry, campaigned with Lauren and gave her her full endorsement. And she’s not the only one – Lauren has earned endorsements from ten of Thierry’s current colleagues in the state legislature (including a new endorsement from State Rep. Erin Zwiener)!

LGBTQ+ candidates everywhere are getting ready for Pride Month. And starting June 4, they’ll also be on the ballot! Meet the 38 endorsed candidates on the ballot in June here!

QUICK HITS: The News in a Moment

Emily Randall, our candidate for Congressional District WA-06, recently spoke with LGBTQ Nation about how her background powers and improves her campaign, as well as her continued fight to preserve the right to choose. Read the full piece here!

Great news from one of the mostly hotly contested Congressional Districts: Will Rollins has a one-point lead against anti-LGBTQ incumbent Congressman Ken Calvert!

Wondering what’s going on the Pennsylvania’s Auditor General’s race? Wonder no longer – catch up with Spotlight candidate Malcolm Kenyatta and get a rundown on the race here!

Mario Enríquez, our candidate for the Stockton City Council, recently gave a passionate speech urging the city council to raise the Pride flag this year. The measure passed 4-3!

Victory Fund candidate Zach Young is ready to make history as the first out LGBTQ+ person to be elected to a school board in Tennessee! He spoke with Axios about his campaign.

Irony: this Texas school board member ran on a far-right platform and railed against LGBTQ+ stories in school curriculum. Then, she got elected and read the curriculum. Now, she’s changed her tune and is backtracking on LGBTQ+ issues. Read the full story here!

All eyes on New Hampshire: anti-LGBTQ leaders in the state succeeded in passing three anti-trans bills through the state legislature. It is unclear if Gov. Chris Sununu will sign the bills into law.