Election Results: LGBT Races to Watch

It was truly a landslide for equality all across the country, including wins at the ballot box for marriage equality, the first gay U.S. senator, and a new generation of representatives in Congress.

BY Michelle Garcia

November 06 2012 6:37 PM ET UPDATED: November 12 2012 4:13 PM ET

President Barack Obama
RESULTS: Reelected

President Obama's win over Mitt Romney on Tuesday might have changed the political calculus on LGBT rights forever. When the president announced his support for marriage equality during an interview with ABC News in May, pundits rattled off a list of reasons it could cost him reelection. They worried it would hurt Obama with voters in the conservative South, including in swing states such as Virginia, North Carolina, and Florida. They sounded the alarm that it could hurt him with minority voters.

“While some pundits predicted the president’s support for marriage equality would hinder his campaign, we know the opposite is true," said Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign. "His reelection after expressing support for marriage equality is further proof that the momentum is on the side of marriage for all families."

Griffin called Obama "the most pro-equality president ever" and "our Ally-in-Chief." His comments are further evidence that there is little political space between Obama and LGBT voters. So a win for him is being counted as a win for equality too. (Read More About The Race)