While Everyone Was Watching The Donald These LGBTQ Candidates Were Securing Their Elections
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In a year marked by record-breaking anti-LGBTQ legislation, queer candidates clinched hundreds of down-ballot victories nationwide, even as Trump reclaimed the presidency.
Although the complete result of the presidential election remains to be finalized, queer, trans and nonbinary candidates won hundreds of victories across the country. The political year saw another unprecedented battle in legislation, due to an increased conservative push for anti-trans legislation. Out of 662 bills introduced on the legislative floor, 45 passed—across topics of bathroom access, education, incarceration, healthcare, sports participation and more.
The 2024 victories build on a pattern of increasing LGBTQ representation that began in 2020, when a then-record 400 out candidates won office nationwide. That “rainbow wave” gained momentum in 2022, with victories jumping to 436, according to LGBTQ+ Victory Fund data.
But 2024’s political landscape proved more challenging. While the total number of LGBTQ elected officials has grown from 436 in 2022 to just around 240 so far today, candidates faced unprecedented headwinds. The 662 anti-LGBTQ bills introduced in 2024 marked a 285.71% increase from 2022’s 174 bills.
According to the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, a national organization dedicated to electing LGBTQ people, there was a 14.1% increase in candidates on ballots.
“LGBTQ+ candidates for office bring critical values and perspectives to their work in leadership,” said LGBTQ+ Victory Fund President and CEO Annise Parker in a press release from last month. “These candidates represent our nation’s future, reflect our nation’s diversity and show that LGBTQ+ people are vital, instrumental voices in our halls of power.”
Beyond electoral victories, the damage from anti-LGBTQ sentiments has already taken its toll—from the surge in trans and nonbinary youth’s consideration of suicide to struggling to access proper healthcare in vulnerable states and homicides against trans and nonbinary youth.
Following Vice President Harris’ last-minute entry into the presidential ticket after President Biden’s withdrawal in July, Democrats remained hopeful to win the majority votes this election. While she did not secure substantial electoral votes to win the presidency, the LGBTQ demographic’s votes didn’t align with the results, with Harris leading the queer and trans vote at 86% to Trump’s 12%, according to NBC News Exit Polls. White LGBTQ people voted for Harris over Trump by 82% to 16%, with Harris’s margin even greater for voters of color at 91% to 5%.
As for the other electoral races, here is where the LGBTQ community won this election:
California – Passed
Proposition 3, the Right to Marry seeks to repeal Proposition 8, an outdated initiative that defines marriage as between a man and a woman in the state, which eliminates the rights of same-sex couples to marry. Proposition 3 aims to expand the heterosexual boundaries of the right to marry within the California Constitution.
The ballot initiative passed overwhelmingly, with 61% voting yes.
Colorado – Passed
Amendment J, another initiative seeking to remove the ban on same-sex marriage from Colorado Constitution. Like California, Colorado constituents overwhelmingly votes yes, with nearly 64% voting in favor.
Nadine Bridges, the executive director of One Colorado, an equality advocacy organization in favor of Amendment J said, “We believe it’s one more opportunity to create equality for same-sex couples for those who choose to get married. We want to make sure we’re protecting our communities that choose to be married.”
New York – Passed
Proposition 1, the Equal Rights Amendment seeks to establish protection against unequal treatment based on ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, and pregnancy outcomes. It passed with 62% voting yes.
Notable wins in key swing states
Arizona
Gay, democratic incumbent Oscar De Los Santos won his seat again in Arizona’s House of Representatives for District 11. He also happened to be the very first member to represent the District and one of the first in the state legislature. During his previous run in the House, he has been an advocate for LGBTQ equality, worker’s rights, voting rights, taking on corporate corruption and ensuring educators receive fair wages.
“Thank you to the working families of District 11 for entrusting me with representing you for another term,” he posted on Instagram Tuesday night in celebratory of his win. “You have my word: I will always put you before the big corporations and wealthy special interests.”
Additionally, incumbent Patricia Contreras of District 12 and Brian Garcia of District 8 won their seats as well, shepherding a total of at least three out LGBTQ candidates into the House of Representatives in Arizona. Contreras was one of the first out lesbian Latinas elected to the Arizona legislature, and Garcia will be the first Indigenous out LGBTQ person to represent the district.
North Carolina
The only out LGBTQ member of the North Carolina State Senate Lisa Grafstein won her re-election. Grafstein is a civil rights attorney specializing in employment law and disability rights and has served in this seat since 2023. The incumbent secured her seat again by over 4,000 votes.
Wisconsin
All eyes have been on the Wisconsin State Assembly, who perhaps had its largest-ever bloc of LGBTQ State Assembly candidates. Their wins were a crucial part of the state’s legislative branch in charge of making and passing laws.
Out of the 10 Assembly candidates, eight were victorious, including two incumbents Greta Neubauer of District 66 and Lee Snodgrass of District 52. In September, Kathleen Dolan, distinguished professor of American government and political science at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee told Reckon that it will be highly unlikely for all 10 candidates to win. She also stressed that the chances of the state legislature flipping from majority Republican would be low, meaning Democrats will have a hard time getting any of their bills considered.
Out of 99 Assembly seats, Democrats have so far secured 44, with Republicans at 52 and three more to be determined, according to The New York Times’ Wisconsin Election Results. Additionally in the state, Kristin Alfheim won her Senator campaign, a crucial win that Democrats needed control of the state Senate. She faced an opponent in the general election who historically has strong anti-LGBTQ stances. However, Republicans still hold the Senate majority, at 17 to the Democrats’ 16.
Finally, Democratic Tammy Baldwin secured her third Senator term. Baldwin made history in 2012 as the first out LGBTQ member elected to the U.S. Senate and was re-elected for her second term in 2018. She won her seat with less than one percent of the votes. She defeated wealthy GOP businessperson Eric Hovde who financed his own campaign.
“Wisconsinites chose someone who always puts them first, shows up, listens, and works with everyone to get the job done,” she wrote on X yesterday. “I’m proud to head back to the Senate to keep fighting for our workers, farmers, and families that make our state great.”
Looking ahead: The legislative landscape
Despite the electoral victories, LGBTQ advocates are bracing for a complex legislative environment under a second Trump presidency. Political analysts expect the wave of state-level anti-LGBTQ bills to continue, particularly in states where Republicans maintained or expanded their majorities.
Imara Jones, journalist and founder of TransLash Media, tells Democracy Now! the 2024 election is “existential” for transgender people in the U.S. after the community became a main target of Republican attacks.
“We are teeing up trans people to be one of the major targets in the administration, and, for [Donald Trump], a part of the group he has implied as part of his day one purge.”
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