Washington, DC – Today LGBTQ Victory Fund endorsed candidate Erin Maye Quade won the Democratic primary for Minnesota’s 56th state Senate District. With this victory, she is now on track to become one of the first Black women and one of the first out LGBTQ women elected to the Minnesota state Senate (Clare Oumou Verbeten, who is a Black LGBTQ woman, is also on the ballot today for the state Senate). There were a record number of out LGBTQ state legislative candidates on the ballot today in Minnesota.
According to LGBTQ Victory Institute’s Out for America Map, the only national database of out LGBTQ elected officials, there are currently just seven Black out LGBTQ women serving in state Senates. Minnesota currently has zero out LGBTQ Black women in the state Senate.
Mayor Annise Parker, President & CEO of LGBTQ Victory Fund, issued the following statement about her win:
“For far too long, people of color and the LGBTQ community have lacked equitable representation in government, particularly in state legislatures. The effects of these representation gaps are abundantly clear – from abortion bans to attacks on voting rights to concerted attacks on LGBTQ kids. Erin has the experience and diverse coalition of supporters and allies to stand up against this wave of injustice and enact real, meaningful reform for all Minnesotans. We are confident she will make an effective Senator and will inspire countless others to follow in her footsteps and run for office.”
Victory Fund named Maye Quade a Spotlight candidate, a designation given to state or local candidates in history-making races, that comes with additional support and services from LGBTQ Victory Fund to ensure they win on Election Day.
More information about all of Victory Fund’s endorsed candidates is available at www.victoryfund.org/ourcandidates.
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LGBTQ Victory Fund
LGBTQ Victory Fund works to achieve and sustain equality by increasing the number of openly LGBTQ elected officials at all levels of government while ensuring they reflect the diversity of those they serve. Since 1991, Victory Fund has helped thousands of openly LGBTQ candidates win local, state and federal elections.
