As the Political team and Outreach and Engagement team continue to travel across the country in support of our candidates, I wanted to share some updates from my time in the Land of 10,000 Lakes this past week. I supported 12 campaigns on the ground, including 3 Spotlight candidates, and knocked over 300 doors in temperatures ranging from 30 degrees ? to 75 degrees ☀️! I also met with partners doing great work across the state, including OutFront Minnesota and Women Winning.
(Left) Event supporting Leigh Finke and Clare Verbeten; (Right) Me and Manny supporting VF candidates in St. Paul!
This year in Minnesota, we have the opportunity to DOUBLE representation in the state legislature, elect the first two Black women and the first LGBTQ women to the State Senate (Erin Maye Quade and Clare Oumou Verbeten), and elect the first trans person to the state legislature (Leigh Finke)! It’s also one of the only states where we’ve endorsed all the state legislative candidates running!
(Left) Labor GOTV rally for Mary Moriarty; (Right) Door knocking for Mary
Mary Moriarty is a career Public Defender who would be the first out LGBTQ County Attorney in the state of Minnesota. Getting to meet her in person and campaign with her this past week, I saw how deeply committed she is to making the justice system one that works for everyone. When I met with her, Mary shared the recent discovery of multiple anti-LGBTQ statements made by her opponent in the past. Albert was able to investigate these concerns and pitch to media. These revelations underline the importance of electing Mary to ensure that the county where George Floyd was killed is represented by a County Attorney committed to equity and inclusion. Learn more about Mary’s campaign here.
GOTV Rally with Rep. Angie Craig and Cecile Richards
I also canvassed multiple times in Rep. Angie Craig’s extremely competitive district just outside the Twin Cities. In fact, the districts of three of our state legislative candidates, Erin Maye Quade, State Rep. Jess Hanson, and State Rep. Liz Reyer, overlap with Angie’s district, so I was able to talk to voters about our candidates up and down the ballot! Rep. Jess Hanson is one of our at-risk incumbents who is in need of support; in 2020, she won by only 500 votes and her district has become even more competitive with redistricting.
(Left) Hitting the doors in 30 degree weather; (Right) GOTV rally with Rep. Jess Hanson, Sen. Scott Dibble, Rep. Liz Reyer, and Erin Maye Quade
Over the weekend, I drove out to Northfield to support city council candidate Davin Sokup. Davin owns a woodworking and carpentry business and also works as a legislative assistant at the Minnesota Senate. If elected, he would be the first trans man elected in Greater Minnesota and one of only seven trans men elected in the entire United States. Read up on Davin’s race here!
(Left) Door knocking for State House candidate Brion Curran; (Middle) Supporting Davin Sokup in Northfield, MN; (Right) With State Rep. Athena Hollins
This was a successful trip to support our 15 endorsed candidates and make sure they get over the finish line to achieve so many exciting historic firsts this November! Thank you for reading and for your support of our amazing candidates! Learn about all our candidates running in Minnesota here.
More information about all of Victory Fund’s endorsed candidates is available at victoryfund.org/ourcandidates. Since 1991, Victory Fund has helped thousands of out LGBTQ+ candidates win local, state and federal elections.
