Among the findings:
- Mississippi and South Dakota had the lowest number of out candidates running in 2018, with just one each. Both currently have zero openly LGBTQ elected officials serving anywhere in the state.
- California, Texas and Florida had the largest number of LGBTQ candidates run in 2018 – with 81, 61 and 28 respectively. While California and Florida are among the states with the highest number of openly LGBTQ elected officials currently serving, Texas is an outlier. Despite having relatively few openly LGBTQ elected officials serving given the state’s population, it saw a surge in openly LGBTQ candidates running this year.
- Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Texas, West Virginia and Guam can at least double the number of out LGBTQ elected officials with big wins in November. Alabama, Arkansas, Texas and West Virginia are all low-equality states for LGBTQ people, according to the Movement Advancement Project.
“LGBTQ
candidates are running for office in unprecedented numbers and in every
state in the nation – and it is already inspiring more LGBTQ people to
run in the near future,” said Mayor Annise Parker, President & CEO
of LGBTQ Victory Fund. “This rainbow wave of candidates is certainly
concentrated in blue states and districts, but LGBTQ leaders in
conservative parts of the nation are standing up and determined to
become public servants while remaining true to who they are. The
struggles and experiences of LGBTQ candidates provide a unique
perspective that makes them authentic, values-driven leaders, and it is
increasingly resonating with voters.”
The
complete list of openly LGBTQ candidate numbers by state, in addition
to the current number of serving LGBTQ elected officials in each state,
is below.
|
State
|
Number of LGBTQ Candidates Who Ran in 2018
|
Number of LGBTQ Candidates on Nov 2018 Ballot
|
Number of Current LGBTQ Elected Officials
|
|
Alabama
|
4
|
2
|
1
|
|
Alaska
|
5
|
1
|
4
|
|
Arizona
|
18
|
12
|
10
|
|
Arkansas
|
6
|
4
|
2
|
|
California
|
81
|
57
|
105
|
|
Colorado
|
15
|
12
|
13
|
|
Connecticut
|
13
|
11
|
5
|
|
Delaware
|
3
|
0
|
3
|
|
District of Columbia
|
7
|
5
|
6
|
|
Florida
|
28
|
17
|
28
|
|
Georgia
|
13
|
9
|
12
|
|
Guam
|
3
|
3
|
1
|
|
Hawaii
|
5
|
1
|
0
|
|
Idaho
|
2
|
1
|
2
|
|
Illinois
|
22
|
14
|
26
|
|
Indiana
|
4
|
1
|
4
|
|
Iowa
|
7
|
3
|
7
|
|
Kansas
|
5
|
3
|
6
|
|
Kentucky
|
7
|
4
|
7
|
|
Louisiana
|
3
|
3
|
0
|
|
Maine
|
6
|
4
|
11
|
|
Maryland
|
25
|
10
|
16
|
|
Massachusetts
|
20
|
8
|
17
|
|
Michigan
|
19
|
11
|
17
|
|
Minnesota
|
8
|
6
|
11
|
|
Mississippi
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
|
Missouri
|
9
|
7
|
5
|
|
Montana
|
7
|
6
|
6
|
|
Nebraska
|
4
|
4
|
4
|
|
Nevada
|
8
|
3
|
4
|
|
New Hampshire
|
10
|
9
|
8
|
|
New Jersey
|
20
|
16
|
16
|
|
New Mexico
|
2
|
0
|
8
|
|
New York
|
26
|
14
|
27
|
|
North Carolina
|
21
|
17
|
13
|
|
North Dakota
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
|
Ohio
|
16
|
10
|
19
|
|
Oklahoma
|
6
|
2
|
2
|
|
Oregon
|
13
|
12
|
12
|
|
Pennsylvania
|
15
|
10
|
30
|
|
Puerto Rico
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
|
Rhode Island
|
10
|
7
|
5
|
|
South Carolina
|
3
|
1
|
1
|
|
South Dakota
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
|
Tennessee
|
5
|
2
|
5
|
|
Texas
|
61
|
37
|
16
|
|
Utah
|
3
|
2
|
8
|
|
Vermont
|
7
|
6
|
4
|
|
Virgin Islands
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
|
Virginia
|
5
|
2
|
11
|
|
Washington
|
13
|
13
|
33
|
|
West Virginia
|
3
|
2
|
1
|
|
Wisconsin
|
15
|
9
|
18
|
|
Wyoming
|
2
|
2
|
2
|
|
Total
|
618
|
399
|
577
|
Also available are previous reports on the number of openly LGBTQ candidates running for Congress and governor, and the number of openly LGBTQ candidates who ran by position level.
A note on the candidate numbers above: Louisiana, Mississippi, New Jersey, and Virginia do not hold state legislative elections this year, affecting the number of candidates running in their states this cycle.
Victory
Fund endorsed 272 openly LGBTQ candidates in 2018 – the most in its
27-year history – and 226 of those endorsees will be on the ballot in
November. Seventeen openly LGBTQ candidates have already been elected
this year. View all Victory Fund endorsed candidates at victoryfund.org/ourcandidates.
