Out candidates could double LGBT representation in Congress

Out candidates could double LGBT representation in Congress

The Victory Fund has endorsed three non-incumbent gay candidates running for the U.S. House of Representatives this year.  If all three win, they would double the number of out members of Congress, joining incumbent Reps. Barney Frank, D-Mass., Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., and Jared Polis, D-Colo, each of whom are also endorsed by the Victory Fund in their campaigns for reelection.  It’s the group’s largest-ever slate of federal candidates.

Readers may be familiar with the campaigns of Mayor Steve Pougnet of Palm Springs, Calif. (pictured right), and Mayor David Cicilline of Providence, Rhode Island (pictured left).  Pougnet is the Democratic nominee challenging Rep. Mary Bono Mack, a Republican who angered the LGBT community when she voted against an amendment that would start the repeal process for the military’s ban on gay troops.  Cicilline is seeking an open seat in the wake of the retirement announcement by Rep. Patrick Kennedy.

The third and newest non-incumbent endorsee is Scott Galvin of Florida (pictured center).  The North Miami City Councilman is seeking the seat being vacated by Rep. Kendrick Meek, a Democrat who is running for the U.S. Senate.  Galvin is competing in a Democratic primary with eight other candidates, which makes the path to victory more possible, according to a profile of Galvin in the Washington Blade.

New filings with the Federal Election Commission show each of these candidates is a serious threat: Cicilline is in a much stronger financial position than his primary opponents, having raised some $400,000 in the last quarter alone;  Pougnet nearly surpassed Bono Mack’s fundraising in the quarter ended June 30, which is unusual for a non-incumbent challenging a sitting member of Congress; and Galvin is holding his own against a crowded primary field, even though the best-funded candidate in that race is writing himself checks.

Right now there are just three members of the LGBT community among 535 members of Congress.  This could be the year we double that number and grow our voice in the federal government.

www.gaypolitics.com