Of the 71 gay and
lesbian political candidates endorsed this year by the
Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, at least 31 were elected on
Tuesday, and 10 others won races earlier this year,
according to a press release from the political action
group.
"This is
the path to change," Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO
of the Victory Fund, said in the release. "We
are not content to sit on the sidelines and hope
others do the right thing for our community. We will
step up and lead the fight for a more equal and fair
America, and we will win."
Among the
group's endorsements were Craig Covey, who clinched
the mayoral race on Tuesday in Ferndale, Mich.,
becoming the state's first openly gay mayor,
and New Jersey state assemblyman Reed Gusciora, who came out
during his first term and won reelection.
The
group's 71 endorsements set a new record for an
odd-numbered year in which there is no planned federal
election. The Victory Fund officially supported 88
candidates in 2006 and said it expects to endorse more than
100 in 2008.
The release
highlighted the following races from Tuesday:
-Joel
Burns, a candidate for the Fort Worth, Texas, city council,
advanced to a December runoff election as the top
vote-getter after being subject to antigay smears from
an opponent.
-Craig
Covey won his race for mayor of Ferndale, Mich., becoming
the first openly gay mayor elected in the state of
Michigan.
-Michelle
Bruce, a transgender incumbent on the Riverdale, Ga., city
council, was the top vote-getter in her race and advances to
a runoff election.
-New
Jersey state assemblyman Reed Gusciora, who became the
state's first openly gay state legislator when
he came out publicly during his current term, won
reelection to his seat.
-Jeffrey
Anderson was elected to the Duluth, Minn., city
council, becoming the first openly gay elected
official in northern Minnesota.
-Tim
Eustace won his race for mayor of Maywood, N.J.
-Brian
Bates, won a seat on the Doraville, Ga., city council,
becoming the first openly gay Republican ever to win
office in the state.
-Lydia
Lavelle won a seat on the Carrboro, N.C., board of aldermen,
becoming the seventh openly LGBT candidate ever elected in
the state.
Other winning
candidates the Victory Fund cited included (alphabetical by
state):
CA
Steve Pougnet -- Palm Springs
mayor pro tem
CA
Ruth Atkin -- vice
mayor, Emeryville
CA
Henry Lo--Garvey School
District Board of Education
CO
Karen Kellen -- Lakewood city
council
CT
Mike Pohl -- Manchester board
of education
CT
Adam Gutcheon -- Windsor board
of education
GA
Lance Rhodes -- East Point
city council
GA
Kecia Cunningham -- Decatur
city commissioner
MA
Joe DeMedeiros -- New Bedford
city council
MA
Denise Simmons -- Cambridge
city council
MA
Timothy Purington -- Holyoke
city council
MD
Patrick Wojahn -- College Park
city council
MN
Greg Lemke -- Moorhead city
council
(The
Advocate)
