With Tuesday's Democratic primary win,
Delegate Adam Ebbin is poised to become Virginia's first openly gay
state senator.
The 47-year-old Ebbin edged out
competitors Rob Krupicka and Libby Garvey to become the Democratic
nominee for Senate District 30. He'll face Republican Tim McGhee in
the November 8 general election.
But since the district, which is
represented by retiring Senator Patsy Ticer and includes parts of
Arlington, Alexandria and Mount Vernon, tends to heavily favor
Democrats, the race is Ebbin's to lose.
“We wouldn't have won without
competing for votes in every locality in this district: Arlington,
Alexandria, Fairfax. And I think we brought the votes from them,
they added up, and, um, I'm happy,” Ebbin told supporters Tuesday
night with a huge grin.
Voters first elected Ebbin to the
Virginia House of Delegates in 2003, making him the House's first
openly gay member.
His campaign for the Virginia Senate is
supported by the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, a group which
promotes openly gay candidates in local, state and federal races
nationwide.
Last year, Ebbin sponsored a bill that
would have added sexual orientation and gender identity to the list
of state nondiscrimination employment classifications. The measure
failed in committee.