Michigan State Representative Jon
Hoadley has won the Democratic primary for Michigan's 6th
congressional district, which includes Kalamazoo.
If elected in November, Hoadley would
become the first openly gay member of Congress from Michigan.
Hoadley will face
U.S. Representative Fred Upton, a Republican, in the fall. Michigan's
6th congressional district leans heavily Republican and
Upton assumed office in 1987. However, in 2018, Upton only narrowly won
re-election.
(Related:
Stephanie
Byers advances; Likely to be first transgender person elected to
Kansas legislature.)
The Human Rights
Campaign (HRC), the nation's largest LGBT rights advocate,
congratulated Hoadley in a statement and said Upton “should be
running scared.”
“After decades
of failed anti-equality leadership from Upton, Michigan's 6th
is ready for fresh, bold new leadership,” said Amritha
Venkataraman, HRC state director for Michigan, “While Upton claims
to oppose discrimination against the LGBTQ community, he has
regularly voted against legislation to protect LGBTQ people including
essential non-discrimination measures like the Equality Act that
would make real change.”
Venkataraman added
that Hoadley would “give a voice to the over 300,000 LGBTQ people
across the state of Michigan.”
Hoadley is
endorsed by the LGBTQ Victory Fund, an organization that supports
LGBT candidates. According to the Victory Fund, 850 LGBT candidates
are running for office this year, a record high.
(Related: Study
finds 21 percent increase in LGBT political representation.)