From
left: Maura Healey, running for Massachusetts governor; Erick Russell, up
for Connecticut treasurer; and Lorena Austin, running for Arizona House of
Representatives
Out LGBTQ+
political candidates have had a landmark year in 2022. For the first time, out
candidates have run or are running in every state, with a record total of 1,065
running for state, local, federal, and judicial offices.
The
information comes from the LGBTQ Victory Fund’s third annual “Out on
the Trail” report, released Wednesday. The report shows not only
record numbers but increased diversity.
“Voters are
sick and tired of the relentless attacks lobbed against the LGBTQ community
this year,” said a statement from Victory Fund President and CEO Annise Parker.
“Bigots want us to stay home and stay quiet, but their attacks are backfiring and
instead have motivated a new wave of LGBTQ leaders to run for office. When they
tried to ban books and censor LGBTQ kids and teachers, a record number of LGBTQ
people ran for school board. When they introduced a historic number of
anti-LGBTQ laws in state legislatures, LGBTQ people ran for state legislatures
like never before. When they tried to stall federal pro-equality legislation,
we ran for Congress like never before.”
The number of
out candidates, 1,065, represents a 5.9 percent jump from the previous record
of 1,006, set in 2020. Of the 1,065, at least 678 will be on the general
election ballot in November, having won their primaries or otherwise advanced.
That’s up from 574 in 2020, an 18.1 percent increase. The number who won their
primaries represents a history-making 63.7 percent of known LGBTQ+ candidates,
compared to 57.1 percent in 2020 and 60.1 percent in 2018.
The proportion
of LGBTQ+ candidates of color grew significantly in 2022 — they account for
38.2 percent of all LGBTQ+ candidates, compared to 30.9 percent in 2020 and
28.7 percent in 2018. For the first time in a midterm or presidential year,
more Black LGBTQ+ candidates ran than Latinx LGBTQ+ candidates, representing 14
percent and 13.2 percent of LGBTQ+ candidates, respectively.
Candidates of
color, including Black, Latinx, and Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, made
up 38.2 percent of the total, yet they’re still underrepresented, as people of
color are 41 percent of the U.S. population.
Candidates who
are not cisgender, including those who are transgender, nonbinary, or
gender-nonconforming, ran in record numbers, representing 13.9 percent of all
LGBTQ+ candidates, compared to 7.9 percent in 2020 and 9.1 percent in 2018.
Fifty-four nonbinary and/or genderqueer candidates ran in 2022, compared to 17
in 2020 and just four in 2018.
More than half
of LGBTQ+ candidates — 55 percent — were gay men, a number relatively
consistent with previous years. Queer-identified candidates saw the greatest
growth, representing 11.2 percent of LGBTQ+ candidates compared to 6.8 percent
in 2020 and 4.3 percent in 2018. The number and proportion of lesbian
candidates declined — 18.2 percent in 2022 compared to 26.7 percent in 2020 —
while bisexual candidates also grew in proportion and number.
California had
the most out candidates of any state, with 178, while Mississippi was last
among the 50 states, with one. In addition to out candidates in all 50 states
and the District of Columbia, there were known LGBTQ+ candidates in the
territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. More out candidates ran for
Congress than ever before, at least 119.
As in previous
years, Democrats made up the overwhelming majority of out candidates; this
year’s figure was 89.3 percent. Republicans made up 4.5 percent and
independents 2.3 percent, with the remainder divided among various minor
parties.
Victory Fund
endorsed 497 candidates in 2022, the most in its 31-year history. Of those, 438
will appear on the ballot in November or already won their general election races.
SOURCE: ADVOCATE
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