A Gay Navajo Man is To join The Arizona Senate
The Arizona state legislature is likely to keep its five-member caucus of openly LGBT lawmakers after important primary elections Tuesday night.Jack Jackson, Jr., a member of the Navajo Nation, was the top vote-getter in a three-way race for a seat in the Arizona Senate. He would join State Sen. Paula Aboud, an out lesbian, Sen. Robert Meza, who is openly gay, and primary winner Kyrsten Sinema, an openly bisexual member of the State House who is likely to move up to the Senate.
In 2005, Jackson, a former member of the State House, was appointed by Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano as the Executive Director of the Arizona Commission of Indian Affairs. In April 2000, he was appointed by Secretary Donna Shalala to serve on President Clinton’s Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS. Today Jackson serves on the Navajo Nation Gaming Enterprise Board and the Obama Administration has selected him to once again serve on the President’s Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS.
In other primary races Tuesday, Steve Howard, an openly gay man, won the Democratic nomination to become Vermont’s next lieutenant governor.
Elsewhere, out candidates faced tough losses in some tough states. In Florida, which has never elected an openly LGBT candidate to the state legislature, Justin Flippen came up short in his bid to unseat the incumbent District 92 State House member. Also in Florida in the race to fill Rep. Kendrick Meek’s seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, Scott Galvin was unable to overcome a significant fundraising disadvantage in his Democratic primary.
by Denis
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