Democrats have a lot of diverse candidates running this year — a record number of women, African Americans and Native Americans running in high-profile races that they hope could lead them to a blue wave. But there’s also been a surge of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender candidates all across the country who want to give that blue wave a rainbow tinge.
“I think candidates are running because they see it’s possible. They see the need for more LGBTQ candidates to get involved in the process. But they now see clear evidence that we can win at the very highest levels of government,” said Victory Fund President Annise Parker, whose group endorses viable LGBTQ candidates. Parker was the first openly LGBTQ mayor of a major U.S. city when Houston voters elected her in 2009.
According to their data, 430 LGBTQ candidates this year have run for office at every level of government. Many say they’ve been pushed off the sidelines, fearing their rights are under attack. Three years after the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage, they now see the Trump administration working to bar transgender people from serving in the military and promoting religious freedom laws the LGBTQ community says would legalize discrimination.
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