LGBTQ+ Stories You Should Know About

Major Wins Across Five States (With More to Come!)

An update from Washington: Dave Upthegrove is headed to a recount. A slim lead of just 51 votes triggers a mandatory hand recount under state law – it’s the closest race for statewide office in Washington history! Learn how you can help Dave’s campaign here or here!

We’re thrilled to announce that most of our candidates in Alaska, Florida, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Vermont won their primaries!

Ashley Brundage, who is on-track to be the first out trans person EVER elected in Florida, sailed through her primary for the Florida State House with over 81% of the vote. Ashley will now face an incumbent who voted for “Don’t Say Gay” AND to ban LGBTQ+ books in school libraries.

Also in the state legislature, Mitch Rosenwald defeated three primary opponents for an open state house seat. With no opponents in November, Mitch is virtually guaranteed to take a seat in the Florida House!

And in the Sarasota County School Board races, Tom Edwards faced attacks from Moms For Liberty AND Governor Ron DeSantis. Despite these, Tom avoided a runoff and pulled off a win!

According to Politico, "At least 11 conservative school board candidates backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis fell in key races yesterday, weakening the winning streak DeSantis enjoyed in 2022.”

LGBTQ+ candidates are going to be key to ensuring a pro-equality majority in the Wisconsin state legislature. State Assembly candidates Angela Stroud and Christian Phelps both won their primaries and advanced to November

Embattled incumbent Brion Curran, running for reelection to the Minnesota State House, easily defeated a primary challenger. Check out their legislative record here!

In Alaska, Andrew Gray faced one opponent in his top two jungle primary for Alaska House of Representatives. Both candidates automatically advance to the general election in November!

And last but certainly not least, LGBTQ+ candidates won key races in the Vermont state legislature. Rebecca White, Tanya Vyhovsky, Emilie Kornheiser and William Greer all advanced in their primaries!

LGBTQ+ At the DNC

You may have heard: this week was the Democratic National Convention! Victory Fund President & CEO Mayor Annise Parker joined the LGBTQ Caucus with Vice President of Political Programs Sean Meloy and many more. Watch the full video here! Excitingly, a record-number of LGBTQ delegates were in Chicago, displaying the continuously growing political power of our community.

Read responses from LGBTQ+ candidates who spoke during the Caucus meeting, including Congressional candidates Sarah McBride and Julie Johnson, here!

Several former and current Victory Fund candidates took the stage, shining a light on LGBTQ+ issues and motivating LGBTQ+ voters. Pete Buttigieg, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, Colorado Governor Jared Polis, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin, U.S. Senator Laphonza Butler, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, U.S Congressman Robert Garcia, Pennsylvania State Representative Malcolm Kenyatta all spoke during prime time.

Our sister organization, LGBTQ+ Victory Institute, also inducted the honorable Pete Buttigieg into the LGBTQ+ Political Hall of Fame at the Victory at the DNC event! Together with LGBTQ+ leaders, elected officials, allies and celebrities like Zachary Quinto and Wilson Cruz, we celebrated LGBTQ+ political power and our communities’ impending victory in 2024. Read an exclusive from Forbes here or check out pictures from the event here!

QUICK HITS: The News in a Moment

Mayor Parker and Vice President of Political Programs Sean Meloy joined The Ask Podcast to talk about LGBTQ+ political power and why it’s so important to promote LGBTQ+ candidates. Listen to the full conversation here!

In another anti-LGBTQ move, the Supreme Court rejected attempts from the Education Department to enforce new Title IX rules. The Biden-Harris Administration attempted to rollback Trump era limits and expand protections for trans students.

U.S. Senator Mark Kelly rolled out a key list of endorsements for the state legislature (his first such list!). He’s standing with Victory Fund incumbent Lorena Austin!

Trans people face numerous barriers when voting. But despite the difficulties, they’re still striving to place their ballots. Read an exclusive from The Advocate here.