Record Number of LGBTQ Political Candidates in ‘20
Large boost in non-binary contenders; California, Texas, Florida yield the most hopefuls
BY MATT TRACY
The nation has witnessed
a record number of
queer candidates vying
for public offi ce this year
and key increases were especially
evident among non-binary individuals
and people of color, according
to a new breakdown of LGBTQ political
hopefuls in 2020.
The Victory Fund, which helps
elect LGBTQ candidates at all
levels of government nationwide,
unveiled its “Out on the Trail” demographic
report and tallied at
least 1,006 queer candidates this
year — a 41 percent boost from the
2018 midterms.
“A historic number of openly
LGBTQ people are running for
offi ce this year and we have the
opportunity to elect an unprecedented
number on Election Day,”
Annise Parker, president and CEO
of LGBTQ Victory Fund and herself
a former three-term mayor of
Houston, said in a written statement.
“While LGBTQ candidates
are signifi cantly more diverse than
US candidates overall, we must
continue to break down the barriers
LGBTQ people of color, women,
and trans people face when considering
a run for offi ce. Our government
must refl ect the diversity of
America.”
It is important to note that the
Victory Fund tally includes all LGBTQ
candidates who entered primary
races this year. Of the 1,006
contenders, 574 survived primaries
earlier this year and will appear on
the November 3 ballot. That tally
of general election contenders represents
a 33 percent increase since
the 2018 election cycle.
The large rainbow wave has
translated into historic gains already.
Congress will soon have its
fi rst out LGBTQ Black lawmaker,
and probably two — with the inevitable
November victory of the
Bronx’s Ritchie Torres, who is Afro
Latinx, and the likely victory
of Mondaire Jones in the Hudson
Valley. Jabari Brisport, meanwhile,
will soon be the fi rst out LGBTQ
Black person to serve in the State
Sarah McBride won her Democratic primary for State Senate in Delaware last month, putting her on
the brink of becoming the highest ranking out transgender lawmaker in the US.
Senate after he won his Democratic
primary race in Brooklyn.
Trans candidates have also made
history, including Melissa Sklarz
and Emilia Decaudin of Queens,
who became New York’s fi rst out
trans district leaders. Elsewhere,
Human Rights Campaign spokesperson
Sarah McBride won her
Democratic primary competition
for the State Senate in Delaware in
a very blue district, putting her on
the cusp of becoming the highestranking
trans elected offi cial in
the nation.
The Victory Fund’s comprehensive
report on the full range of
1,006 LGBTQ contenders revealed
a range of takeaways across gender,
race, and even geography.
There were twice as many gay men
running for offi ce as lesbians. At
least 401 gay men sought public
offi ce this year, a 21 percent increase
from the 332 candidates in
2018. In comparison, 204 lesbians
mounted campaigns, following a
tally of 192 two years ago.
Among all queer candidates,
31 percent are people of color — a
21 percent uptick from 2018. The
share of candidates of color include
95 who were Black, 92 who were
Latinx or Hispanic, 30 who were
multiracial, 23 who were Asian/
Pacifi c Islander, and 10 who were
Native American. There were an
additional 226 individuals whose
race or ethnicity was not identifi ed
REUTERS/ BRENDAN MCDERMID
in the Task Force report.
Among candidates of color, there
was also a stark gender gap. There
were 148 men of color running —
nearly twice as many as the 80
POLITICS
queer women of color competing
for seats.
The breakdown of transgender
and non-binary candidates has
shifted since the 2018 cycle. There
were 14 fewer transgender candidates
this year, but that dip coincides
with a sharp increase in genderqueer
or non-binary candidates
— 17 in this cycle compared to just
four in 2018. It is not clear to what
extent the shift refl ected changes
in the way in which individual
candidates may have self-identifi ed
themselves to voters.
Contrary to the male-dominated
political landscape among cisgender
candidates, far more transgender
women mounted runs for public
offi ce than transgender men.
Thirty-one trans women were running
this year as oppoesd to just
three trans men.
➤ VICTORY FUND, continued on p.29
Assemblymember
Deborah J. Glick
Every Vote Matters
Vote Early or Submit Your Absentee Ballot
at Your Polling Site
October 24 through November 1
https://vote.nyc
Election Day Nov 3
Assemblymember Deborah J. Glick, 66th District
212-674-5153 • glickd@nyassembly.gov
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