Record Number of Gay Candidates Endorsed

WASHINGTON, DC -- The Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, an LGBT political action committee, announced Thursday its support of 13 new candidates. The new endorsements bring the total number of candidates it's supporting this election year to 77, the group's largest number ever.

"More and more qualified LGBT candidates are stepping up to serve their communities, and we are proud to help them add their voices to the American political debate," Chuck Wolfe, the fund's president and CEO, said in a statement.

The newly-endorsed candidates include two, Mary Washington and Anthony McCarthy, who would become the first openly LGBT African-American legislators in Maryland. The newly endorsed candidates are:


-- Paula Aboud (D), Arizona State Senate, Dist. 28

-- Benjamin Cruz (D), Lt. Governor, Guam

-- Bevan Dufty (D), San Francisco, Calif. Board of Supervisors, Dist. 8

-- Charles Eader (D), Bedminster, NJ Township Committee

-- Alexis Gorriaran (D), Rhode Island State Senate, Dist. 5

-- Ken Keechl (D), Broward County Commission, Dist. 4

-- Anthony McCarthy (D), Maryland House of Delegates, Dist. 44

-- Maggie McIntosh (D), Maryland House of Delegates, Dist. 43

-- Doug Milliken (D), Arapahoe County, Colo. Treasurer

-- Ed Murray (D), Wash. State Senate, District 43

-- Rudy Serra (NP), Detroit, MI, District 36 Judge

-- Devin Slayton (R), Arizona House of Representatives, Dist. 11

-- Mary Washington (D), Maryland House of Delegates, Dist. 43


The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund provides strategic, technical and financial support to openly LGBT candidates and officials. It's the only national organization solely committed to increasing the number of openly LGBT public officials at federal, state and local levels of government. Victory is the nation's largest LGBT political action committee and one of the nation's largest non-connected PACs. In 15 years, Victory has helped the number of openly LGBT officials grow from 49 to more than 300.