WASHINGTON, DC — Today, LGBTQ+ Victory Fund is proud to announce its April endorsement slate of LGBTQ+ candidates running for office, which includes 57 new and incumbent candidates from 23 states and territories — Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin, and Guam.
Highlights of this endorsement cycle include: Georgia Court of Appeals candidate Will Wooten, who is running a strong, well-funded campaign against a long-standing incumbent, bringing experience as both a prosecutor and public defender and a deep commitment to fairness and equal justice — and who, if elected, would be among the first openly LGBTQ statewide officials in Georgia. In Guam, Lieutenant Governor Joshua Tenorio is a top-tier candidate for governor with executive experience and broad institutional support, building a competitive campaign with a clear path to victory that could mark a historic advancement for LGBTQ representation in U.S. territories. In Georgia, Bentley Hudgins, a proven LGBTQ advocate and voting rights leader, is running in a safely Democratic House district and is well-positioned in a competitive primary where support could be decisive — and would become the first openly nonbinary and trans state legislator in the Deep South if elected. In Hawaii, incumbent State Representative Kim Coco Iwamoto, one of the first openly transgender state legislators in the country, is seeking reelection to continue her trailblazing leadership and ensure sustained LGBTQ representation. U.S. Representative Ritchie Torres remains one of the most prominent openly LGBTQ voices in Congress, advancing equity and economic justice at the national level. And in Maryland, Josie Caballero is running a strong campaign for Montgomery County Council with the opportunity to become the first transgender elected official in the state, representing more than one million constituents and marking a historic breakthrough for transgender representation at the local level.
To date, 220 candidates have received LGBTQ+ Victory Fund’s endorsement for the 2026 campaign cycle. To earn LGBTQ+ Victory Fund’s endorsement, a candidate must be an out member of the LGBTQ+ community who supports LGBTQ+ equality and the right to bodily autonomy and demonstrates a path to victory.
LGBTQ+ Victory Fund endorses the following candidates:
Incumbents Endorsed April 2026
James Aguilar (he/him)
San Leandro City Council, District 2, CA
Andrés Election Cano (he/him)
Pima County Supervisor, District 5, AZ
Andrea Beth Damsky (she/her)
Helix Water District, Division 2, CA
Triston Ezidore (he/him)
Culver City School Board, CA
Lindsay Gilchrist (she/her)
Colorado House of Representatives, District 8
Kim Coco Iwamoto (she/her)
Hawaii House of Representatives, District 25
John Kashwick (he/him)
Clinton City Council, NJ
Todd Larson (he/him)
Green County Board of Supervisors, District 25, WI
Sarah Reale (she/her)
Utah State Board of Education, District 5
Mitch Rosenwald (he/him)
Florida House of Representatives, District 98
Melanie Scheible (she/her)
Nevada State Senate, District 9
Ryan Spaude (he/him)
Wisconsin General Assembly, District 89
Ritchie Torres (he/him)
U.S. House of Representatives, NY-15
Clare Oumou Verbeten (she/her)
Minnesota State Senate, District 66
New Endorsed Candidates April 2026
Sherrie Aaron (she/her)
Columbus City Council, District 3, GA
Lisbeth Arescurenaga (she/her)
Arizona House of Representatives, District 24
Adam Bair (he/him)
South Dakota House of Representatives, District 10
Zach Bachmann (he/him)
Kendall County Clerk & Recorder, IL
Josh Boschee (he/him)
Mayor of Fargo, ND
Josie Caballero (she/her)
Montgomery County Council, At-Large, MD
Andrés Carrera (he/him)
Colorado State Senate, District 34
David Chappell (he/him)
Utah House of Representatives, District 62
Jane Davis (she/her)
Bexar County District Attorney, TX
Evan Done (he/him)
Utah State Senate, District 13
Sara Duncan (she/they)
Marion County Board of Commissioners, Position 1, OR
Dustin Gee (he/him)
Bellingham School Committee, MA
Kevin Garner (he/him)
Missouri House of Representatives, District 24
Jessica González-Rojas (she/her)
New York State Senate, District 13
Iris Halpern (she/her)
Colorado House of Representatives, District 6
Nick Hellyar (he/him)
Houston City Council, District C, TX
Bentley Hudgins (they/them)
Georgia House of Representatives, District 90
Serenity Johnson (she/her)
Radcliff City Council, KY
Luke Maynes (he/him)
Salt Lake County Council, District 3, UT
Matthew Menter (he/him)
Maryland House of Delegates, District 41
Cristian Mendoza Ruvalcaba (he/him)
Oregon State Senate, District 3
Jamie McGonnigal (he/they)
Prince George’s County Board of Education, District 3, MD
Armando Montero (he/him)
Arizona House of Representatives, District 12
Anthony Nicodemo (he/him)
Westchester County Legislature, District 15, NY
Ashley Orozco (she/her)
Ventura County Board of Supervisors, District 2, CA
Demerike Palecek (she/her)
Illinois House of Representatives, District 13
Quinnie Perez (she/her)
Orange County Soil and Water Conservation District, Seat 1, FL
Tyler Quick (he/him)
Adams County Commission, District 4, CO
Brian Romero (he/him)
New York State Assembly, District 34
Sam Rosemark (he/him)
Minnesota State Senate, District 44
Kyrstin Schuette (she/her)
Minnesota House of Representatives, District 43A
Katina Sharp (she/her)
Knox County Commission, At-Large, TN
Alleria Stanley (she/her)
Maryland House of Delegates, District 4
Drew Stensland (he/him)
Iowa House of Representatives, District 75
Bri Sérráno (he/they)
Covina City Council, District 5, CA
Joshua Tenorio (he/him)
Governor of Guam
Joseph Toolan (he/him)
Anne Arundel County Council, District 6, MD
Monica VanBuskirk (she/her)
Colorado House of Representatives, District 9
Samuel Vilchez Santiago (he/him)
Florida House of Representatives, District 43
Drake Warren (he/him)
Cook County Board of Commissioners, District 10
Will Wooten (he/him)
Georgia Court of Appeals
Dakota Wurth (he/him)
Utah State Senate, District 5
Find a searchable database of all endorsed candidates on the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund website, here. For interviews and additional background on LGBTQ+ candidates running nationwide, contact press@victoryfund.org.
About LGBTQ+ Victory Fund
LGBTQ+ Victory Fund works to achieve and sustain equality by increasing the number of out 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 LGBTQ+ candidates win local, state and federal elections. victoryfund.org
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