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John,
Hard to believe it’s almost here: Election Night is only ONE day away! While there is going to be a LOT going on, we wanted to share eight LGBTQ stories we’ll be keeping an eye on as the news rolls in. Check them out:
Will America elect more LGBTQ candidates than ever before?
With at least 574 openly LGBTQ candidates on the ballot next Tuesday, American voters can elect more LGBTQ candidates in one night than at any other time in U.S. history. It seems likely, but not inevitable, that we can make this happen!

Will the number of LGBTQ members of the U.S. House double?
There are 15 Victory Fund endorsed LGBTQ U.S. House candidates on the ballot next Tuesday – seven incumbents and eight non-incumbents. If all seven incumbents and seven of the eight non-incumbents endorsed by Victory Fund win, the U.S. Congress will have double the number of openly LGBTQ members in the lower chamber next year!

Mondaire Jones (NY-17) and New York City Councilmember Ritchie Torres (NY-15) are almost certain to win and become the first out Black LGBTQ members of Congress (Torres identifies as Afro-Latinx). Pat Hackett (IN-2), Jon Hoadley (MI-6) and Gina Ortiz Jones (TX-23) are in “red to blue” districts and all would become the first openly LGBTQ people elected to Congress from their respective states, while Tracy Mitrano (NY-23) is also running in a “red to blue” district. Beth Doglio (WA-10) and Georgette Gomez (CA-53) are running against fellow Democrats for seats in which incumbents decided not to seek reelection. Jones would also be the first openly LGBTQ Filipina and Gomez the first openly LGBTQ Latina elected to Congress.

Will Alaska, Delaware and Tennessee elect openly LGBTQ state legislators for the first time?
Five states have never elected an openly LGBTQ state legislator: Alaska, Delaware, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee. Yet LGBTQ state legislative candidates are on the ballot in three of those states next Tuesday: Lyn Franks (HD-15) in Alaska, Sarah McBride (SD-1) and Eric Morrison (HD-27) in Delaware, and Torrey Harris (HD-90) and Brandon Thomas (HD-49) in Tennessee.

And four state legislatures may elect openly LGBTQ people to their upper or lower chambers for the first time. LGBTQ people may be elected to the Florida state Senate (Shevrin Jones, SD-101), Georgia state Senate (SD-41), Indiana state House (Ashley Klein, HD-39) and South Dakota state House (Jared Nieuwenhuis, HD-25, and Louise Snodgrass, HD-7). All would be the first in those chambers.

How many transgender, genderqueer and gender non-conforming state legislative candidates will make history?
Eight transgender state legislative candidates endorsed by Victory Fund are on the ballot this coming Tuesday – five of them non-incumbents. Sarah McBride, running for the Delaware state Senate (SD-1), is almost certain to become the first out trans state senator in U.S. history. Stephanie Byers (KS HD-1), Madeline Eden (TX HD-17), Jessica Katzenmeyer (WI HD-15) and Taylor Small (VT HD-Chittenden 6-7) would all become the first out trans state legislators in their states. Byers would also be the first out trans person of color elected to a state legislature anywhere in the U.S.

Three of the four currently serving incumbent trans state legislators are up for reelection: Lisa Bunker (NH HD-Rockingham 18), Gerri Cannon (NH HD-Stafford 18) and Brianna Titone (CO-27). If all three incumbents are reelected and four of the five non-incumbents are elected, the number of out trans state legislators will double to eight.

Additionally, Louise Snodgrass, running for the South Dakota state House (HD-7), would become the first openly genderqueer person ever elected to a state legislature in the U.S. Joshua Query, running for reelection to the New Hampshire state House (HD-16), will become the first openly gender non-conforming person elected to a state legislature. Query did not run openly as gender non-conforming when they first won in 2018.

Will LGBTQ candidates determine control of the Texas state House?
Ten openly LGBTQ state legislative candidates endorsed by Victory Fund are on the ballot in Texas next Tuesday, including Madeline Eden (HD-17), Eric Holguin (HD-32), Ann Johnson (HD-134), Eliz Markowitz (HD-28), Lorenzo Sanchez (HD-67), and Rep. Erin Zwiener (HD-45). With Democrats needing just nine seats to take control of the state House, their races may determine whether the chamber turns blue for the first time since 2002.

LGBTQ candidates will also play a role in flipping the lower chambers in Florida, Michigan, North Carolina and Pennsylvania.

Will the number of LGBTQ state legislators of color increase dramatically?
Sixty LGBTQ people of color endorsed by Victory Fund are on the ballot in state legislative races next Tuesday, including 31 who are non-incumbents. With just 42 openly LGBTQ state legislators of color currently serving anywhere in the country, there is an opportunity to increase this number dramatically on Election Night. Among them are candidates running to be the first out LGBTQ people in their state legislatures or chambers.

How many state legislatures will have members who are lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender?
Five states have an opportunity to elect state legislators who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender: Colorado, Kansas, New Hampshire, Texas and Wisconsin. Never has a state legislature had representatives from all four of those sexual orientations and gender identities at the same time.

Will candidates targeted with homophobia and transphobia overcome the attacks and win?
LGBTQ candidates are facing more frequent and more blatant anti-LGBTQ campaign attacks than they have in any of the past three election cycles. Polls show all the candidates above in tight races, making the Election Night outcomes a partial referendum on whether anti-LGBTQ tactics are viewed as successful.

The National Republican Campaign Committee launched anti-LGBTQ TV ads and strategies targeting Congressional candidates Jon Hoadley (MI-6) and Gina Ortiz Jones (TX-23). San Diego mayoral candidate Todd Gloria and North Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture candidate Jenna Wadsworth were the targets of anti-LGBTQ attacks by right-wing media and QAnon trolls. Incumbent Colorado state Representative Brianna Titone was targeted with digital ads that misgendered her and used her dead name. And more than a dozen other candidates faced anti-LGBTQ attacks in the final months of their campaigns.
Victory Fund staff will be tracking these stories, and our 311 endorsed candidates on Election Night. We’ll have periodic updates, key wins, and the answers to all these questions in the weeks to come.
Thanks for powering the Rainbow Wave,
LGBTQ Victory Fund
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LGBTQ Victory Fund has helped thousands of openly LGBTQ candidates win elections up and down the ballot, from sea to shining sea since our founding in 1991. We believe representation is power so we elected U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin and Kyrsten Sinema, Governors Jared Polis and Kate Brown, all seven LGBTQ members of U.S. Congress and countless candidates for state and local government, including Virginia Delegate Danica Roem, Colorado state Representative Leslie Herod and Pennsylvania Assemblymember Brian Sims. And with an unprecedented number of LGBTQ people running for office in this year, we’ll need your support to make 2020 the next Rainbow Wave.
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