Providence Mayor David Cicilline is running for the open 1st Congressional District seat in Rhode Island.  If successful, he'll become the fourth openly gay Member of Congress, joining Reps. Tammy Baldwin, Barney Frank and Jared Polis.

First elected mayor in 2002, Cicilline was reelected in 2006 with 83% of the vote.  In the Congressional contest, he's expected to benefit from high name recognition and a solid  reputation as a reformer in a city that was once beset with crime and corruption.

The unexpected retirement announcement by Rep. Patrick Kennedy is prompting several prominent Democrats to step into this race, and more could decide to run before the filing deadline in June.  The candidates with the most sizable campaign accounts by then will be the serious contenders, so it's vitally important that Mayor Cicilline builds a formidable fundraising lead early.  

Right now just three of 535 members of Congress are openly gay or lesbian.  Our community is woefully underrepresented in the federal government.  An additional LGBT voice will mean more understanding of and respect for a perspective that most members of Congress don't understand.

Please help Mayor Cicilline in his campaign for Congress with a contribution today.

Give online today or write checks to: The Cicilline Committee