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John,
Last week, I celebrated four years leading Victory Fund's political department. That's one full presidential term! And like any president up for reelection, I'm going to share with you all the good work my "administration" has done over the last four years - and why we'd like you to stand with us again.
In the four years I've worked at Victory Fund, endorsement demand has grown exponentially, with more and more out candidates on the ballot each cycle. In 2020 alone, over 1,000 out people ran for public office! Victory Fund must keep growing with the demand - will you make a donation to ensure our political program and endorsements keep expanding as more LGBTQ people keep running? [[link removed]]
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Here's a snapshot of how the LGBTQ political landscape has changed since I started in 2017 (fair warning, I could talk about this for hours!):
In 2017, Victory Fund decided to back a "risky" out trans candidate for a flippable state legislative race in Virginia. We knew she could win her 4-way primary, so we invested dollars, time, and on-the-ground support on election day. And our big investment paid off: when Danica Roem WON her first race, she defeated the author of Virginia's horrific bathroom bill AND made history as the first out trans person elected and seated to a state legislature in the U.S.
And Danica wasn't the only one to make history that year: we raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for our winning trans candidates, including Minneapolis City Council Vice President Andrea Jenkins and Erie (PA) School Board member Tyler Titus (who are both on the ballot again this year!).
In 2018, Victory Fund led the Rainbow Wave, shattering our previous endorsement records and electing a huge Rainbow Wave of out candidates, many of whom made history as the first elected in their state or in their legislative body.
That same year, we DOUBLED the number of out members of Congress, electing historic candidates like Sharice Davids in Kansas, Angie Craig in Minnesota, and Chris Pappas in New Hampshire.
Thanks to Victory Fund's efforts that year, the number of out state legislators increased by almost 25% AND the number of out trans state legislators QUADRUPLED.
While a lot of orgs rested during the 2019 cycle, Victory Fund kept working. Thanks to a slate of early endorsements, strong fundraising efforts and campaign support, we made 2019 the Year of the Lesbian Mayor, electing Lori Lightfoot in Chicago, Jane Castor in Tampa (FL), and Satya Rhodes-Conway in Madison (WI). And we increased LGBTQ representation in Nashville, Las Vegas, Raleigh, Indianapolis and Boston!
There's only one word to describe 2020: unprecedented. An unprecedented number of out candidates ran for office, Victory Fund issued an unprecedented number of endorsements, and an unprecedented number of candidates WON their races. We added two more out members of Congress, elected the first out trans state senator, Sarah McBride in Delaware, added more big-city mayors, including Todd Gloria in San Diego, made history in states like Georgia, Florida, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and West Virginia, and so, so much more.
Like I said - I could talk about this stuff for hours. It's been a busy four years! And here's something I'm really proud of: when asked, U.S. Congressman Ritchie Torres stated, "Victory Fund creates viability. It enables LGBTQ people to have a fighting chance at winning elected office" . I want to ensure that we can give even more out candidates a fighting chance, like we did for Danica, Ritchie, Sharice, Lori, and so many more. Will you help us keep supporting out candidates and achieving amazing results? [[link removed]]
If you've saved your payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately:
Express Donate: $4 [[link removed]]
Express Donate: $14 [[link removed]]
Express Donate: $34 [[link removed]]
Or, donate another amount [[link removed]]
Here's to four more years of making LGBTQ history,
Sean Meloy
Pronouns: he|him|his
Vice President of Political Programs, LGBTQ Victory Institute
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Paid for by LGBTQ Victory Fund. Your contribution may be used in connection with federal, state and local elections and be subject to federal, state and local laws. Contributions to LGBTQ Victory Fund are not tax deductible. Victory Fund members do not have governance participation rights.
LGBTQ Victory Fund is the political arm of the LGBTQ community. Since our founding in 1991, we’ve supported and elected LGBTQ candidates like U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin and Kyrsten Sinema, Governors Jared Polis and Kate Brown, all nine LGBTQ members of U.S. Congress and countless other out candidates for state and local government, including Virginia Delegate Danica Roem, Colorado state Representative Leslie Herod and Pennsylvania Representative Brian Sims ( meet all of our current candidates here [[link removed]] )! We’ve shattered rainbow ceilings in all 50 states and broken election records. You can power our work and the next Rainbow Wave with a donation today [[link removed]] !
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