More than 1,000 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender candidates ran for elected office this year, vying for seats in Congress, state legislatures and various local races across nearly every state. While a number of these races have yet to be called, hundreds of queer candidates have already emerged victorious as of Friday, including many who made history.
At least 1,017 out LGBTQ candidates ran for election this year, a 1.1% increase compared with 2020, according to the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, a political organization that tracks and supports LGBTQ candidates for elected office. Of the total number of LGBTQ candidates, 668 made it to the general election.
Over 90% of the total number of candidates were Democrats, and they ran in every state except Nebraska, seeing wins in at least 40 states, along with Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C., the organization found. This year’s LGBTQ candidate pool was also more diverse than ever, with 37.6% of candidates being LGBTQ people of color and 15.2% not cisgender.
The LGBTQ+ Victory Fund endorsed and tracked 477 of the LGBTQ candidates who made it to the general election. As of Friday afternoon, about three-quarters of those races had been called, with LGBTQ candidates having a success rate of approximately 80%.
“Candidates performed very well overall on election night, with historic firsts in many key races and increased representation in the U.S. House and retaining presence in the U.S. Senate,” Sean Meloy, vice president of political programs for LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, told NBC News. “These wins are hopeful, especially as their voices in federal government will be critical under the next administration.”
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Seventeen LGBTQ congressional candidates were on general election ballots. As of Friday, 12 won, three lost (including the only Republican) and two are not yet known. Three of the winning House candidates were historic firsts for Congress: Delaware’s Sarah McBride became the first out transgender person elected, Texas’ Julie Johnson became the first out LGBTQ person from the South elected and Washington’s Emily Randall became the first out queer Latina elected. Tammy Baldwin, who in 2013 became the first out gay person to serve in the Senate, won a tough re-election fight in Wisconsin and will be the lone LGBTQ senator in January, with Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Laphonza Butler of California not seeking re-election.
LGBTQ candidates won elections to at least 37 state legislatures this year, according to the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, and several were historic firsts. Three state legislatures — those of Hawaii, Iowa and Missouri — will welcome their first out trans members with Kim Coco Iwamoto, Aime Wichtendahl and Wick Thomas, respectively. Iwamoto and Thomas are the first out trans people elected to any statewide office in their states.
Rashaun Kemp will be the first out gay Black man in the Georgia legislature, and Amaad Rivera-Wagner will be the first out Black LGBTQ member of the Wisconsin State Assembly. Molly Cook, the Texas Senate’s first out LGBTQ member, who assumed office in May, won her election to continue serving as well.
At least a dozen out LGBTQ judges will also be sent to the bench, adding representation for coming years when many laws targeting transgender people could come before the courts.
In an election where anti-trans ads were prevalent on the airwaves and many Republicans, including President-elect Donald Trump, leaned into anti-trans rhetoric on the campaign trail, at least 34 out trans candidates won their elections, according to the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund.
Meloy points to Wisconsin as an example of voters rejecting anti-trans political rhetoric. Baldwin’s Republican challenger, Eric Hovde, and his supporters spent more than $20 million on anti-trans political ads targeting Baldwin, according to data shared with NBC News by AdImpact. Hovde’s campaign also ran a slew of TV ads drawing attention to Baldwin’s sexuality, repeatedly mentioning her girlfriend, Maria Brisbane.
“Our candidates connect to voters despite the rhetoric, because their focus is serving their communities,” Meloy said. “They have the skills, knowledge and experience to win and voters recognized that. It is hopeful to see especially in the context of the 2024 results overall.”
Most LGBTQ wins were on the local level as mayors, justices of the peace, town and city council members, school board members, town and county clerks, commissioners, auditors, tax collectors, treasurers and members of various local boards.
There are currently at least 1,273 out LGBTQ elected officials across the U.S. — but that comprises just 0.24% of all elected officials, according to the LGBTQ+ Victory Institute. With LGBTQ people an estimated 7.6% of the adult U.S. population, according to the latest Gallup survey, that percentage is disproportionately low.
Still, steadily growing grassroots representation continues the trend of the number of out LGBTQ elected officials growing every year. That representation, according to Meloy, will be critical under a Republican-controlled federal government.
“Having LGBTQ+ candidates in the halls of power will be paramount in helping to protect and uphold pro-equality values,” Meloy said. “The history that we made in states across the country, and for our nation, will have a long-lasting impact for generations to come.”
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