This election season, hundreds of LGBTQ+ candidates are running for office across the country, from hyperlocal positions to statewide seats. The Victory Fund, “the leading national voice on issues pertaining to LGBTQ+ politics, candidates and elected officials,” has endorsed 325 LGBTQ+ candidates alone. Here are 18 standout candidates to watch this election season, all of whom are endorsed by Victory Fund.
Arizona House of Representatives, District 8
Garcia grew up in Arizona with parents from El Salvador and the Pascua Yaqui Tribe in Mexico, who became U.S. citizens. Garcia became the first in his family to graduate from high school, college, graduate school and earn a law degree. He is endorsed by several unions, Planned Parenthood and Moms Demand Action. If elected, Gacia would be the first LGBTQ+ Indigenous official to serve District 8.
U.S. House of Representatives, CA-16
Low is a graduate of the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and, in 2006, became the first LGBTQ+ Asian‐American elected to Campbell City Council. In 2014, Low was elected to the California State Assembly, where he has served ever since. Low’s platform includes advocating for reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ rights, affordable housing and climate change, among other things.
Florida House of Representatives, District 37
Douglas, an environmental advocate, was elected as a Soil and Water Conservation District supervisor in 2020. There, he focused on protecting land and waterways. Before this, he worked as a call center agent for the Department of Economic Opportunity, assisting Floridians with reemployment claims during COVID-19. Now, Douglas is running for the Florida House while also attending graduate school.
Florida House of Representatives
Joe Saunders, Equality Florida’s Senior Political Director, began his public service career as a student organizer at UCF and later became one of Florida’s first openly LGBTQ+ lawmakers. He has focused on public education, affordable housing and LGBTQ+ rights throughout his career. Currently, the Senior Political Director of Equality Florida and a faculty member at FIU, Saunders is now running for a seat in the Florida House of Representatives.
Iowa House of Representatives
Aime Wichtendahl has been a member of the Hiawatha City Council since 2016, becoming the first openly trans woman elected to government in Iowa. She first got involved in politics in 2008 as a state delegate for Barack Obama and later ran for the council in 2015, focusing on supporting small businesses and addressing redevelopment concerns. Since taking office, Wichtendahl has worked on initiatives such as reducing property taxes, promoting green energy and increasing small business development in Hiawatha.
New Mexico House of Representatives, District 18
From Albuquerque’s North Valley, Anaya was the first in her family to attend college. She eventually earned a degree from the University of Texas at Austin and pursued graduate studies at UCLA. After college, she returned to Albuquerque to engage directly in community organizing and policy advocacy, contributing to the repealing of New Mexico’s 1969 abortion ban and passing the state’s Voting Rights Act. Currently, she owns a small business specializing in communications and policy advocacy.
New York State Senate
Sanghvi, a parent, educator, and public servant was born in India and immigrated to the United States in 2001. She has worked in various roles, from Walmart management to corporate marketing, while earning a PhD and teaching business at Skidmore College. Elected as Saratoga Springs Finance Commissioner in 2021, Sanghvi is now running for State Senate to focus on economic opportunities, green jobs and safer schools.
North Carolina State Senate
Gradstein is an incumbent North Carolina senator and a civil rights lawyer since 1995. Prior to her time in the Senate, she spent 16 years running her own firm before joining Disability Rights North Carolina, where she fights against discrimination in employment, voting, public accommodations and constitutional rights violations. She’s currently the only LGBTQ+ member of the NC Senate.
Oklahoma House of Representatives
At 15, McCane became a mother, earned her GED, and worked as a Teacher Assistant in Tulsa Public Schools. While raising her children, she pursued her education, eventually earning her master’s in 2018. McCane is involved with the Tulsa Classroom Teachers Association, where she serves on the executive board, and has been recognized as Teacher of the Year. A strong advocate for public education, LGBTQ+ students, teachers’ rights and marginalized communities, McCane is running for Oklahoma House of Representatives, District 72.
Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Commission – Illinois
The first Black trans woman to serve office in Cook County, Brady-Davis was appointed as Metropolitan Water Reclamation District by Governor Pritzker last year. Brady-Davis was the Youth Outreach Coordinator at the Center on Halsted, the Midwest’s largest LGBTQ+ community resource center, coordinating youth programs focused on HIV prevention, transgender advocacy and LGBT leadership development. She is dedicated to protecting Lake Michigan and advancing green infrastructure and is running now for reelection.
Auditor General – Pennsylvania
Representative Malcolm Kenyatta, a North Philadelphia native, began his career with a strong focus on public communication and political science, earning degrees from Temple University and Drexel University. He made history in 2018 as the first openly LGBTQ+ person of color elected to the Pennsylvania General Assembly. He has gained significant attention as a vocal advocate for workers’ rights, gun safety and government transparency. Kenyatta has served on influential committees, contributed to Governor Tom Wolf’s Suicide Prevention Task Force and was recognized as a ‘Rising Star’ by President Biden and Vice President Harris. Kenyatta is now running for Auditor General, a position that audits and reports on state government operations.
Rhode Island House of Representatives
Picheco joined the Navy in 2013, where she served as a Fire Control Technician for six years and gained confidence to live authentically as a trans woman. When the Trump Administration instituted the trans military ban in 2019, Picheco decided to work on behalf of her community. Upon returning to civilian life, she advocated for LGBTQ+ rights, public education, and green energy in Cranston. Now running for State Representative, she hopes to continue her advocacy and address key community issues at the State House.
Tennessee House of Representatives
“A teacher with a plan,” Nordstrom developed a passion for social change during his teenage years living in Knoxville, Tennessee. His political activism began with a 2015 internship at the Knox County Democratic Party, where he worked as a field organizer and campaign manager. After spending time teaching English in Mexico, he returned to the U.S. to resume his studies. He became a high school Spanish teacher in Memphis, where he witnessed firsthand the challenges of underfunded education. Now running for State Representative in Tennessee House District 83, Nordstrom aims to advance educational equity and systemic change.
Texas State Senate, District 15
Cook, a Texan ER nurse and community organizer, currently represents Texas Senate District 15 and is running for reelection. With a master’s degree in public health policy from Johns Hopkins University, she has been active in Democratic campaigns and advocacy since 2018. Cook led the successful Fair for Houston campaign, which called on “the Houston-Galveston Area Council to consider the population in its voting structure, addressing the severe underrepresentation of more populous members such as Houston and Harris County.”
Washington State Senate, District 14
The daughter of Mexican immigrants and a former Board President for OneAmerica, Beltran has a background in community organizing and supporting candidates across the state. She has worked with notable figures like U.S. Rep. Kim Schrier and State Rep. Debra Entenman. Beltran recently completed the AgForestry leadership program and is committed to serving her community, advocating for LGBTQ+ rights, combating wildfires and supporting agricultural workers in the State Senate.
Washington Commissioner of Public Lands
Upthegrove is a longtime conservationist, holding degrees in Environmental Conservation and Biology and a graduate certificate in Energy Policy. In 2001, Uptheggrove became the first openly LGBTQ+ State Legislator outside Seattle. He spent twelve years in the Washington State House, where he led efforts to protect Puget Sound, reduce carbon pollution and improve oil spill prevention. The current Chair of the King County Council, Upthegrove is the only candidate endorsed by the Washington Conservation Action and the Sierra Club.
D.C. State Board of Education – Washington D.C.
Chang was first elected to the DC State Board of Education in January 2021 and is the first Asian-American to hold this position. He is a literacy educator and advocate with a background in education nonprofits and research. Chang’s literacy programs have received notable awards, and the International Literacy Association and the Clinton Global Initiative have recognized him. He holds a Master’s in Public Policy from Harvard and is actively involved in local community organizations. He is running for reelection this November.
Wisconsin State Assembly
Stroud is a sociologist and candidate for the 73rd Assembly District in Wisconsin. She’s aiming to leverage her expertise in social change and community connection in the legislature, focusing on preserving the Lake Superior watershed, affordable housing and reproductive rights.