Rainbow Wave of Candidates Larger Than Previous Estimates; More Than 600 LGBTQ People Ran for Office in 2018

390 openly LGBTQ candidates are on the ballot in November – a historic number

Washington, DC - October 10, 2018 – Today LGBTQ Victory Fund announced that the record-breaking number of openly LGBTQ candidates running for office this election cycle is significantly larger than previous estimates. At least 606 openly LGBTQ candidates ran for office in 2018 and at least 390 will appear on the ballot in November. Previously the number of openly LGBTQ candidates was estimated at 430, with 244 appearing on the November ballot. The new data – gathered through weeks of analyzing media reports, outreach to local organizations and officials, and other means – shows the historic Rainbow Wave of LGBTQ candidates far surpasses numbers in any previous election cycle.

"An unprecedented Rainbow Wave of openly LGBTQ candidates is running for office this year – shattering previous records and breaking down long-held political barriers for our community," said Mayor Annise Parker, President & CEO of LGBTQ Victory Fund. "While the numbers themselves are impressive, we are also running for higher-level offices in larger numbers and in places across the country unthinkable just a few years ago. Whether electing the first openly trans governor in the United States or tripling the number of LGBTQ women in the U.S. Congress, we have an opportunity to turn this Rainbow Wave of LGBTQ candidates into a Rainbow Wave of LGBTQ elected officials on Election Day."

Of the 606 openly LGBTQ candidates who ran in 2018:

91 ran for U.S. Senate or U.S. Congress;
10 ran for governor and 299 ran for statewide offices or state legislative seats; and
206 ran for city councils, school boards, judicial positions, and other local government offices.

Of the 390 openly LGBTQ candidates who will appear on ballots in November:

30 are running for U.S. Senate or U.S. Congress;
4 are running for governor and 213 are running for statewide offices or state legislative seats; and
143 are running for city councils, school boards, judicial positions, and other local government offices.

Victory Fund endorsed 272 openly LGBTQ candidates in 2018 – the most in its 27-year history – and 229 of those endorsees will be on the ballot in November. Sixteen openly LGBTQ candidates have already been elected this year.

View all Victory Fund endorsed candidates at victoryfund.org/ourcandidates.

LGBTQ Victory Fund

LGBTQ Victory Fund works to change the face and voice of America's politics and achieve equality for LGBTQ Americans by increasing the number of openly LGBTQ elected officials at all levels of government.

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