U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Equality PAC has raised a record $20.7 million during the 2024 election cycle, channeling support to Democrats in competitive House races nationwide.
The political arm of the Congressional LGBTQ Equality Caucus is backing 15 openly LGBTQ candidates for the House, including six newcomers and nine incumbents, with the aim of securing the largest-ever LGBTQ presence in Congress.
Founded a decade ago with modest funds, the PAC has significantly expanded its influence.
U.S. Reps. Mark Takano (D-Calif.) and Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.), who co-chair the PAC, noted the caucus’s evolution into an “unmatched force in LGBTQ politics,” and a more diverse coalition.
“We have not only expanded our caucus, but we have drastically changed its composition from what used to be an all-white, almost all gay male delegation into a strong and diverse coalition that will soon have members from every region of our nation,” Takano and Torres said in a statement.
A record of six openly LGBTQ women — U.S. Reps. Angie Craig (D-Minn.), Becca Balint (D-Vt.), Sharice Davids (D-Kansas), Delaware state Sen. Sarah McBride, Washington state Sen. Emily Randall and Texas state Rep. Julie Johnson — are running for the House this election.
Takano and Torres highlighted potential historic firsts: If they win, Johnson would be the first openly LGBTQ representative from the South, Randall would be the first openly queer Latina in Congress, and McBride would become the first transgender person ever elected to federal office.
Although not backed by Equality PAC, Alison Esposito, a House candidate from New York, could make history as the first openly gay Republican woman elected to Congress.
Equality PAC is also supporting candidate Will Rollins (D-Calif.) and former U.S. Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.), who were both narrowly defeated in 2022, and Evan Low, a California State Assemblymember who is running to succeed retiring U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.).
Other incumbents the PAC has endorsed include U.S. Reps. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.), Rep. Eric Sorensen (D-Ill.), Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), as well as Takano and Torres.
Equality PAC has also sent more than $763,000 to pro-equality ally candidates across the nation, with the aim of securing a congressional majority that could advance legislation like the Equality Act, which seeks to amend the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to enshrine protections for LGBTQ people.
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