Historic Wins for LGBTQ, Diversity in 2022 General Election

As of this writing, 436 openly LGBTQ candidates won their races during the 2022 General Election, surpassing the previous record of 336 set in 2020.

Mayor Annise Parker, President & CEO of the LGBTQ Victory Fund, said: “This Rainbow Wave was fueled by a record number of LGBTQ candidates who defied the odds by running—and winning—in the face of extraordinary anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and attacks. Bigots underestimated our power and determination as they’ve done throughout history. While this election has given us much to be optimistic about, such as a historic number of victorious trans and nonbinary candidates, we still have a long way to go before we achieve equitable representation in government. LGBTQ people have never been fully represented in government and until that day, we will not stop organizing, we will not stop fighting and we will not stop running for office. Because when we run, we win.”

She and the Victory Fund hold that, to reach equitable representation, the U.S. must elect over 35,000 more out LGBTQ people to office.  

The organization shared these key trends:

• Of the 714 out LGBTQ candidates who appeared on the General Election ballot, 436 won—a 61% win rate.
• Of the 250 out LGBTQ women who ran, 160 won—a 64% win rate.
• Of the 353 out LGBTQ men who appeared on the ballot, 221 won races—a 63% win rate.
• Of the 37 out trans candidates who appeared on the ballot, 18 won their races—a 49% win rate.
• Of the 24 out non-binary candidates who ran, 13 won their races—a 54% win rate.

And these key wins:

• Tina Kotek of Oregon and Maura Healey of Massachusetts—the nation’s first lesbian governors;
• Erick Russell of Connecticut (State Treasurer): the first Black out LGBTQ person ever elected statewide;
• James Roesener of New Hampshire: the first trans man elected to a state legislature in U.S. history;
• Leigh Finke: the first trans person ever elected to the Minnesota state legislature;
• Zooey Zephyr and SJ Howell: the first trans person and first non-binary person elected to the Montana state legislature;
• and Jennie Armstrong and Andrew Gray: the first out LGBTQ people ever elected to the Alaska state legislature.

Louisiana and Mississippi are now the only U.S. states never to have elected an out LGBTQ state lawmaker.

The 118th Congress, though, is on the path to becoming the most racially diverse in history. While the 2022 General Election was not as noteworthy in this area as the 2020 elections were (they created the most racially diverse Senate and House of Representatives the U.S. has ever seen), political analysists still see a promising upward trend.

In particular, more people of color have been running for office, even as Republicans. The politics of the Republican Party are therefore projected to change. As Katherine Tate, a Professor of Political Science at Brown University, said: “What’s striking about 2022 [is that] a record number of Blacks ran as Republicans, even if only a few have won. The new diversity could move us away from Trumpism.”

San Francisco Bay Times Columnist and Supporter Wins

Here at home, several Bay Times columnists, former columnists, and supporters won their races. They include:

Carolyn Wysinger – A current Bay Times columnist, Wysinger is the Past President of SF Pride. Although votes are still being tabulated as of this writing, it appears that she was elected to the El Cerrito City Council.

Phil Ting – Bay Times columnist Ting decisively won his bid for a 6th term State Assemblymember for District 19.

Rafael Mandelman – Former Bay Times columnist and long-time Bay Times supporter Mandelman also decisively won his race, with voters re-electing him as Supervisor of District 8.

Matt Dorsey – Bay Times supporter Dorsey won as well, holding on to his role as Supervisor of District 6. The race included other important LGBTQ community leaders, Honey Mahogany and Ms. Billie Cooper. Mahogany has also been a Bay Times supporter and remains the Chair of the San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee.

Nancy Pelosi – Yet another decisive win was earned by Pelosi, who handily won reelection as U.S. Representative for District 11. She was a friend of former Bay Times publisher, the late Kim Corsaro, and has remained a supporter of the paper. Some political analysts predict that Pelosi may retire before long, especially given the recent violent attack of her husband Paul. If she does, that could open the door for openly LGBTQ state Senator Scott Wiener, who is a trusted and admired colleague of hers. Politico recently ran an interesting piece about “the quiet race to succeed Pelosi”: https://tinyurl.com/udpmcpce

Joel Engardio – Former Bay Times columnist Engardio as of this writing appears to have won his race for Supervisor of District 4. He previously ran for Supervisor of District 7 in 2020 and won the most first-choice votes, but lost after the ranked choice reallocation of votes. He has long been endorsed by the Alice B. Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club, where he serves on the Field Committee.

For updated results on all races that were on the November 8 ballot in San Francisco, go to: https://tinyurl.com/yxcm777u

Published on November 17, 2022