The Victory Fund has endorsed three openly LGBTQ candidates running for the Georgia House of Representatives in 2016. If all three candidates win this November, Georgia will have five openly LGBTQ members of the House of Representatives for the first time ever, joining Karla Drenner and Keisha Waites.
Park Cannon is a reproductive health educator and advocate running to represent District 58 in a special election. This is a significant race for the LGBTQ community, as the seat is being vacated by openly gay representative Simone Bell, Park’s friend and mentor. Bell became the first black lesbian legislator in the country when she was elected in 2009. The fight is on to keep the seat safely in LGBTQ hands, and Park Cannon’s strong campaigning and engagement in advocacy lends her a promising path to victory.
One district over, openly gay therapist and pastor Joshua Noblitt hopes to represent District 59, a seat vacated by an aspiring mayoral candidate. Joshua faces a tough race against two other Democrats where a runoff is a near certainty. But between his field-oriented campaign strategy and impressive fundraising, Joshua has a fighting chance.
In District 62, openly gay Delta Air Lines program manager Rafer Johnson is running to represent another open seat. Rafer has been a community advocate in his district for many years, and his reputation combined with his strong campaigning have given him a strong start.
Joshua and Rafer’s races are particularly significant to the LGBTQ community in Georgia because both of them could be the first openly gay men ever elected to the legislature in the state.
Park Cannon and Joshua Noblitt received Victory’s endorsement last month. Rafer Johnson was endorsed in September.
