News
2006-11-09
Victory Fund
endorsements yield 67 winners
The Gay and
Lesbian Victory Fund announced that 67 of the LGBT
candidates it endorsed were elected to state, federal,
a
The Gay and
Lesbian Victory Fund announced that 67 of the LGBT
candidates it endorsed were elected to state, federal,
and local offices in Tuesday's midterm election. Some
of these officials have made history as being the
first LGBT candidate ever elected to office for their
respected state and legislative body.
"This is the
tipping point election for openly gay candidates,"
said Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the Victory Fund.
"We're proving that qualified, well-prepared
candidates matched with committed donors means gays
and lesbians can move from having a stake in policy to
actually making policy. There's no reason to sit on the
sidelines with our fingers crossed anymore."
Five candidates
who are among the first LGBT candidates to hold office in
their state are Patricia Todd, who will represent district
54 in the Alabama state house; Kathy Webb, who will
represent district 37 in the Arkansas state house;
Henry Fernandez, who won a seat on the Lawrence
Township, Ind., school board; Al McAffrey, who will
represent district 88 in the Oklahoma state house; and
Jolie Justus, who will represent district 10 in the
Missouri state senate.
Honorable
mentions go to Ken Keechl, who won a seat on the Broward
County commission in Florida, beating a candidate
appointed by Gov. Jeb Bush; Ed Murray, who will
represent district 43 in the Washington State senate;
Matt McCoy, who is the first gay candidate elected to the
Iowa legislature; Jamie Pedersen, who becomes the
third consecutive openly gay person to be elected to
represent district 43 in the Washington Statehouse;
and Judge Virginia Linder, who is joining openly gay justice
Rives Kistler on the Oregon supreme court (The
Advocate).
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