Victory in Colorado

Tue, Aug 12th 2008, 23:52

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Denis Dison (202) 842-7308, denis.dison@victoryfund.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  August 12, 2008

 

Contact:               Denis Dison | 202-262-3118 cell

 

Gay man wins Colorado congressional primary

Victory Fund President Chuck Wolfe Calls Jared Polis’ Win “A Victory for Democracy”

 

Washington, D.C.—Jared Polis is likely to become the first-ever openly gay man elected to the U.S. Congress as a non-incumbent, according to the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund.  Polis won his Democratic primary tonight in the race to represent Colorado’s 2nd Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.  As the Democratic nominee in an overwhelmingly Democratic district, Polis is nearly certain to win the seat in November.  He would join Reps. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and Barney Frank (D-Mass.) as the only openly gay or lesbian members of Congress.

“Jared’s election is a victory for democracy.  Gay Americans are woefully underrepresented in our government,” said Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the Victory Fund, which endorsed Polis.  “Jared’s victory brings us one step closer to fulfilling America’s promise of a truly representative government.”

Polis, who was previously elected statewide to the Colorado State Board of Education, would fill the seat of Rep. Mark Udall, who is running to represent Colorado in the U.S. Senate.  The Gay & Lesbian Leadership Institute, the Victory Fund’s affiliated organization, supported Polis when he came out publicly while serving on the Board of Education.  Polis is also a graduate of GLLI’s Advanced Candidate and Campaign Training.

Polis would become the sixth openly gay person to serve in the House of Representatives.  Rep. Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat elected from Wisconsin in 1998, was the first openly gay person to be elected to the U.S. House as a non-incumbent.  Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts, also a Democrat, announced he was gay in 1987 after having served several terms in the House.  Frank is now the powerful chairman of the House Financial Services Committee.  The late Gerry Studds, a Democrat of Massachusetts, came out publicly while serving in the House, as did former Congressman Steve Gunderson, a Republican from Wisconsin, and former Congressman Jim Kolbe, a Republican from Arizona.  No openly gay or lesbian person has yet been elected to the U.S. Senate.

Last night, state Rep. Mark Ferrandino also won his primary to retain a seat he was appointed to in 2007.  He faces token opposition in November in a heavily Democratic district.  Ferrandino was endorsed by the Victory Fund.

The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund is the only national organization dedicated to increasing the number of openly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) elected officials, and is the nation’s largest LGBT political action committee.  Since its founding in 1991, the Victory Fund has helped grow the number of openly LGBT elected officials from 49 to more than 400 today.  The group has endorsed 83 candidates so far in 2008, and expects to endorse at least 100 candidates before November 4.  For more information, visit www.victoryfund.org.