Today LGBTQ Victory Fund, the only national organization dedicated to electing LGBTQ leaders to public office, endorsed 30 more LGBTQ candidates for 2021 races. Among the endorsees is Mark Levine, who received a Game Changer endorsement in his race for Virginia Lieutenant Governor, as well as trailblazing Minneapolis City Council Vice President Andrea Jenkins.
The Victory Campaign Board, a 120-member board that reviews and endorses candidates, also voted to formally oppose efforts to recall Anchorage, Alaska Assembly Chair Felix Rivera. The recall was pushed by lawmakers opposed to Rivera’s support for mandating wearing masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19. His opponents claim he allowed slightly more than 15 people into the assembly chamber, which was designated as the maximum capacity under a pandemic-related emergency order. Rivera’s recall will be on the ballot on April 6.
Mayor Annise Parker, President & CEO of LGBTQ Victory Fund, released the following statement about the latest endorsements:
“There is no such thing as an off-election year and 2021 presents opportunities to elect groundbreaking LGBTQ candidates that can impact policy for millions of Americans. We can increase representation in the U.S. Congress, elect key city councilmembers and help trans leaders shatter long-standing political barriers. We must increase LGBTQ representation not because we desire power for its own sake, but because it leads to pro-equality policies that improve the lives of LGBTQ people.”
Mayor Parker also said the following about the recall efforts targeting Rivera:
“The recall effort against Felix is a sham perpetuated by anti-science lawmakers who stood with Donald Trump in claiming the pandemic would end by magic instead of strict prevention efforts. With 500,000 Americans dead from the disease, the consequences of their lies are clear. Felix is a dedicated public official who chose his constituents’ safety over politics and I am confident they will keep him in office this April.”
The complete list of candidate endorsements announced today is below:
Gamechanger Endorsement
Mark Levine
Lieutenant Governor of Virginia
Primary Election: 6/8/21
General Election: 11/2/21
General Candidate Endorsements
Jace Dawson
Compton City Council, District 2- CA
General Election: 4/20/21
Runoff Election: 6/1/21
Alexandra Dermody
Davenport Alderwoman, At-Large – IA
General Election: 11/2/21
Jonathan Estrada
Pasadena City Council, District – CA
General Election: 5/1/21
Runoff Election: 6/12/21
Emily Gilbert
Library Trustee, Schaumburg Township District – IL
General Election: 4/6/21
Jackie Gunderson
Mayor of Bloomington – IL
General Election: 4/6/21
Jalen McKee-Rodriguez
San Antonio City Council, District 2 – TX
General Election: 5/1/21
Runoff Election: 6/5/21
Jose Valdes-Fauli
Coral Gables Commissioner, District 2- FL
General Election: 4/13/21
Gregory Yorgey-Girdy
Philadelphia Municipal Court Judge – PA
Primary Election: 5/18/21
General Election: 11/2/21
Incumbent Candidate Endorsements
Dawn Adams
Virginia House of Delegates, District 68- VA
Primary Election: 6/8/21
General Election: 11/2/21
Marcony Almeida-Barros
City of Everett School Committee- MA
General Election: 11/2/21
Jeremy Blake
Newark City Council, Ward 2- OH
Primary Election: 6/8/21
General Election: 11/2/21
James Demetriades
Cromwell Town Council- CT
Primary Election: 8/3/21
General Election: 11/2/21
Anthony Gomez
Cuyahoga Falls Board of Education Member- OH
General Election: 11/2/21
Adam Graham
The Village City Council, Ward 3- OK
General Election: 4/6/21
Patrick Heck
City of Madison Alder, District 2- WI
General Election: 4/6/21
Jason Hoskins
Southfield City Council- MI
Primary Election: 8/3/2021
General Election: 11/2/21
Andrea Jenkins
Minneapolis City Council, Vice President- MN
General Election: 11/2/21
Nick Kachiroubas
Crystal Lake City Clerk- IL
General Election: 4/6/21
Scott Lennon
Berwyn Alderman, Ward 1- IL
Primary Election: 2/23/21
General Election: 4/6/21
Jonathan Melton
Raleigh City Council, At-Large- NC
Primary Election: NA
General Election: 10/5/21
Ryan O’Malley
Malden City Council, Ward 4- MA
Primary Election: 9/2/21
General Election: 11/2/21
Jose Ramirez
Berwyn Alderman, Ward 2- IL
General Election: 4/6/21
Alexander Reber
Millersburg Borough Tax Collector- PA
Primary Election: 5/18/21
General Election: 11/2/21
Peter Spadafore
Lansing City Council- MI
Primary Election: 8/3/2021
General Election: 11/2/21
Sean Strub
Mayor of Milford- PA
Primary Election: 5/18/21
General Election: 11/2/21
Dave Upthegrove
King County Council, District 5- WA
Primary Election: 8/3/21
General Election: 11/2/21
Sändra Washington
Lincoln City Council, At-Large- NE
Primary Election: 4/6/21
General Election: 5/4/21
Marcia White
Ogden City Council, At-Large- UT
Primary Election: 8/10/21
General Election: 11/2/21
More information about all of Victory Fund’s endorsed candidates is available at victoryfund.org/ourcandidates. Since 1991, Victory Fund has helped thousands of openly LGBTQ candidates win local, state and federal elections.
