The Agenda: The Nefarious Plot to hold public office [[link removed]][link removed] [[link removed]] [link removed] [[link removed]] [link removed] [[link removed]] [link removed] [[link removed]]
Five Stories You Should Know About
1. 75% of our candidates WON on Tuesday!
Tuesday was a big night with primary elections in Oregon, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Idaho, and Kentucky! 75% of our candidates secured their primary nominations or advanced to the general election.
Tina Kotek is now on track to become one of the first lesbian governors in U.S. history! She won 56% of the vote on Tuesday [[link removed]] , far ahead of her closest competitor who had 34%. As governor, Tina will ensure Oregon remains a safe place for LGBTQ people [[link removed]] . Read our full release! [[link removed]]
Izzy Smith-Wade-El swept their primary for the Pennsylvania state House after winning about 70% of the vote! [[link removed]] Izzy will be the first out non-binary member of the Pennsylvania state legislature. [[link removed]] Up to and including Election Day, Victory Fund’s Senior Director of Political Programs Marty Rouse was on the ground helping campaign and get out the vote.
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LaWana Mayfield won her primary for Charlotte City Council and is now on track to be the first out LGBTQ person ever elected citywide in Charlotte! [[link removed]] Victory Fund’s Marty Rouse and Michelle Atwood helped canvass for LaWana ahead of the election. Michelle was also on the ground on Election Day to help get LaWana over the finish line. Read our full press release! [[link removed]]
Victory Fund endorsed candidate Allison Scott also won her primary for the Asheville City Council [[link removed]] . She’s one step closer to being the first out trans person elected in North Carolina [[link removed]] !
And there’s one more race left to win: the ballots are still being counted [[link removed]] in Game Changer candidate Jamie McLeod-Skinner 's race for the U.S. Congress. But things are looking good for Jamie – she's been holding the lead since Election Night. [[link removed]]
2. Venton Jones Hit by Homophobic Tirade
Earlier this week, Victory Fund condemned a homophobic attack [[link removed]] against Venton Jones , a Victory Fund Spotlight Candidate for the Texas House. Venton’s opponent compared his HIV status to gambling and drug addiction [[link removed]] and falsely claimed he was not transparent about his sexual orientation. [[link removed]] Stonewall Democrats of Dallas quickly released a ballot warning against his opponent and called the tirade homophobic and transphobic. [[link removed]]
Politicizing someone’s sexual orientation and HIV status is unacceptable, particularly from a person who wants to be a public official. Read our full statement [[link removed]] .
And don’t forget: the Texas runoffs (and primaries for LGBTQ candidates in Alabama, Arkansas and Georgia [[link removed]] ) take place next Tuesday, May 24th! Read up on all our Texas candidates here. [[link removed]]
3. Gayborhoods Hit Hard by Redistricting
Victory Fund’s Deputy Political Director Cesar Toledo sat down with Bloomberg to discuss the impact of redistricting on LGBTQ candidates and gayborhoods. [[link removed]] Slicing and dicing an LGBTQ community can be the difference between electing an authentic champion for equality or a transphobic bigot. And click here to hear what U.S. Congresswoman Sharice Davids [[link removed]] had to say about this week’s redistricting decision in Kansas.
Want to learn more? Check out our “We Belong Together” report about how to ensure LGBTQ people are protected during redistricting. [[link removed]]
4. Game Changer Candidate Eric Sorenson Launches New Ad “Forecast”
Eric Sorenson – who would be the first out LGBTQ person elected to the U.S. Congress from Illinois [[link removed]] – launched a new ad this week! The former meteorologist outlined why he is the right pick because of his deep community ties as well as his plan for tacking the climate crisis. Watch Eric at a recent NPR forum to get to know him better! [[link removed]] And click here to watch “Forecast.” [[link removed]]
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5. Some Good News to End Your Week: What is Bringing Mayor Parker Joy Right Now
Victory Fund President & CEO Mayor Annise Parker recently spoke with Buzzfeed about what is bringing her joy right now. [[link removed]] She was joined by over a dozen other LGBTQ leaders, from Miss Peppermint to our very own Kansas state Representative Stephanie Byers .
The day before my mother passed away a few weeks ago, my wife and I took in a stray kitten. My mother loved cats. They are never self-conscious or inhibited. They don’t view themselves as less than perfect or agonize over their imperfections. They don’t get depressed over a new gray hair. They never get too busy to enjoy the world around them. Life should be approached with joy. We named our kitten Blessing, as I know my mom had a hand in her coming into our lives.
Click here to read all the stories! [[link removed]]
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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, Governors Jared Polis and Kate Brown and all nine LGBTQ members of U.S. Congress. We've boosted out candidates running for state and local government, including California Senate Pro Tem Toni Atkins, Florida Senator Shevrin Jones, Virginia Delegate Danica Roem, Colorado state Representative Leslie Herod, Pennsylvania state Representative Brian Sims, Hawaii state Representative Adrian Tam, Oklahoma Representative Mauree Turner, and so many more ( meet all of our current candidates here [[link removed]] )! We’ve shattered rainbow ceilings in all 50 states and broken election year records. You can power our work and the next Rainbow Wave with a donation today [[link removed]] !
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