LGBTQ Victory Fund, the only national organization dedicated to electing LGBTQ leaders to public office, joined Pennsylvania state Representative Malcolm Kenyatta today to announce full support for his U.S. Senate campaign.
The in-person event marked LGBTQ Victory Fund’s first endorsement of the 2022 cycle. At Freedom Corner in Pittsburgh, Victory Fund’s Vice President of Political Programs Sean Meloy was joined by LGBTQ state Representative Jessica Benham.
If elected, Kenyatta will become the first out gay man and first out LGBTQ person of color ever to serve in the U.S. Senate. He currently serves as a Pennsylvania state representative for the 181st district and as Pennsylvania co-chair for Climate Power.
Kenyatta would be the twelfth Black U.S. Senator in the 232-year history of the U.S. Senate. He would take office at 32 years old, making him one of the youngest U.S. senators to ever serve. The average age of current U.S. senators is 63 years old.
Watch video of Victory Fund’s endorsement here.
In a statement, Kenyatta said he was honored to receive an endorsement from LGBTQ Victory fund.
“Our campaign continues to bring together authentic voices of real people to power this historic campaign,” Kenyatta said. “To be the first openly LGBTQ person of color to serve Pennsylvania in the U.S. Senate would be the honor of a lifetime but the fact that I would be the first speaks to the lack of diversity that permeates the Senate’s history. The support of Victory Fund is another example of the building momentum for our campaign. In the Senate I will help lead the charge to pass the Equality Act, ban conversion abuse, and end the structures that allow systemic poverty to continue an issue that impacts LGBTQ individuals at higher rates. I’m ready to make history and so are the people of the commonwealth.”
Currently, Kenyatta is the only candidate who has been endorsed by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), AFT Pennsylvania, the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, the Working Families Party, and his opponent’s hometown mayor.
Mayor Annise Parker, President & CEO of LGBTQ Victory Fund, released the following statement about Kenyatta’s endorsement:
“We need more people of color, young people and LGBTQ people influencing the decisions that will determine our country’s future – and Malcolm can prove that even swing states will elect these next generation leaders. His story and values resonate with working families and marginalized communities too often ignored by our political system and he will excite the electorate in ways his primary opponents cannot. Malcolm represents the change Pennsylvanians are demanding from Washington – and as he knocks on more doors and speaks with more voters, he will become a favorite to win.”
In this competitive Senate race, every dollar counts. To support Malcolm Kenyatta in his race for Senate, visit https://secure.actblue.com/donate/victoryformalcolm. To keep up with campaign updates, you can find Kenyatta on Twitter, Facebook, and his campaign website.
