The Victory Fund today announced its endorsement of two candidates running for statewide positions: Kate Brown for Governor of Oregon, and Tina Podlodowski for Secretary of State of Washington.
Kate Brown was sworn in as Oregon’s 38th Governor in February of 2015, following the resignation of her predecessor, making her the country’s first openly bisexual Governor. Prior to assuming office, she served as the Oregon Secretary of State, where she earned national attention as a champion of increased voter participation.
Fighting discrimination of any kind has been the hallmark of Kate’s career. While serving in the Oregon House, Kate came out publicly as LGBTQ. As a leader in the Oregon State Senate, she was the chief sponsor of the state’s first domestic partnership legislation and a driving force behind successful legislation to ban housing and employment discrimination against members of the LGBTQ community. Now, as governor she continues to fight for civil rights and equality for all Oregonians. In her first six months in office, she signed two important bills: the first banning conversion therapy, and the second to help LGBTQ veterans rightfully secure equal respect, honor and benefits for serving in the military.
Tina Podlodowski won a seat on the Seattle City Council with 65 percent of the vote in 1995 after a successful career as a senior manager at Microsoft. While in office she championed the complete redevelopment and modernization of the city’s financial management system, saving taxpayers millions of dollars. Additionally, she continually championed LGBTQ equality issues, enacting watershed legislation ensuring basic rights for the LGBTQ community. The Equal Benefits Ordinance requires companies contracting with the City of Seattle to extend equal benefits to domestic partners. She spearheaded legislation to protect gender identity under all of the City’s non-discrimination laws, as well as the Fair Employment Ordinance, which fights discrimination in any workplace in Seattle, regardless of size.
Tina holds leadership roles with Washington Citizens for Fairness, the Pride Foundation and the Human Rights Campaign. Her political and philanthropic work has been profiled in the New York Times, the Washington Post, People and Vanity Fair.
The following candidates also received Victory’s endorsement today:
Julia Boseman – New Hanover County Commissioner, North Carolina
Dr. Dakota Carter – State Board of Education, Texas
Billy Maddalon – State Representative, District 100, North Carolina
