The Democratic primary to replace Rep. Loretta Sanchez in California’s 46th District now includes two openly gay candidates.
Jordan Brandman (left), a city council member in Anaheim, California, came out as gay, making him the first openly gay council member in Anaheim’s history. He is joined in the race by Garden Grove Mayor Bao Nguyen (right) – who came out as gay earlier this summer – as well as state Sens. Lou Correa and Joe Dunn.
So far no Republicans have jumped into the race to replace Sanchez, who’s running for the U.S. Senate.
Brandman’s announcement came after he “found personal happiness” with his current partner, the Orange County Register reports. “I’ve found personal happiness in my life, and now is the times to share it with family and friends. It’s an entirely personal decision to make this announcement, based on the circumstances of my life,” he said.
If Brandman wins the seat, he will join Rep. Mark Takano as the second openly-LGBTQ Californian in the U.S. Congress. There are six other U.S. representatives and one U.S. senator who are openly LGBTQ. These are Rep. Jared Polis, Rep. David Cicilline, Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, Rep. Takano, Rep. Mark Pocan, Rep. Kyrsten Sinema and Sen. Tammy Baldwin.
Other non-incumbent LGBTQ candidates for Congress include Brian Sims of Pennsylvania, Angie Craig of Minnesota, Matt Heinz of Arizona and Bill Phillips of Florida. More openly LGBTQ Congressional candidates are expected to announce in the coming weeks.
If elected, Brandman says he will fight for working families, help businesses create jobs, defend Social Security and Medicare, protect the environment and ensure every child has access to a 21st century education.
Brandman is a lifelong resident of Orange County and received his Bachelor’s degree from the University of California at Irvine. He has been an education policy advisor to California Governor Gray Davis and as a legislative assistant to Assembly Member Tom Umberg. Before becoming a member of the Anaheim City Council, he served as the director of workforce development for the Orange County Business Council and a member of the Anaheim Union High School District board.
California’s 46th Congressional District includes portions of the cities of Anaheim, Orange, Santa Ana and Garden Grove. It is also the home to the Disneyland theme park.
To read more about Bao Nguyen’s campaign, read our previous blog post.
