More than 100 openly gay candidates won
election to public offices across the United States on Tuesday.
On a national level, six and as many as
seven openly LGBT candidates are headed to Congress, including
Wisconsin Senator-elect Tammy Baldwin, the first openly gay member of
the U.S. Senate.
“This wasn't incremental progress.
This was a breathtaking leap forward,” said Chuck Wolfe, president
and CEO of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, a group which supports
openly gay candidates. “Tammy Baldwin's victory in the face of
tens of millions of dollars in super PAC spending against her is a
testament to the enormous power of people who believe in and fight
for progress, fairness and equality. LGBT candidates and their
allies this year showed we are willing to engage fully in the
political process to win the freedom we deserve.”
(Related: Six
openly gay candidates elected to Congress; seventh leading.)
Seven state legislatures gained their
first LGBT lawmakers this election cycle, including North Dakota,
South Dakota, West Virginia, New Mexico, Texas and Pennsylvania.
Florida's gay representation went from zero to two.
According
to the Victory Fund, 121 candidates out of 180 endorsed by the
group won on Tuesday. Two races remain too close to call.