Record number of LGBT candidates seek office

From town councils to statehouses to Congress, a record number of LGBT candidates are running for office today. Nearly 90 of them have been endorsed by the Victory Fund, a gay advocacy group that helps LGBT candidates win election. In Colorado, Jared Polis (D) is seeking to become the third openly gay member of Congress.Polis, a 33-year-old entrepreneur who made millions creating Internet-based businesses, is the Democratic nominee and overwhelming favorite in the 2nd District, encompassing his hometown of Boulder. If he wins, he would be the first openly gay man to win a seat in Congress as a non-incumbent. There have been at least five other gays and lesbians in Congress, including currently serving Reps. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), but only Baldwin was open about her sexuality when first elected. Frank and Baldwin also are expected to have little difficulty today winning re-election. While Polis, Frank and Baldwin are all heavy favorites, another congressional candidate endorsed by the Victory Fund, Democrat Linda Ketner, is an underdog in her race in South Carolina's 1st District, which includes Charleston and other coastal communities. She is running against four-term Republican incumbent Henry Brown. In Oregon, state Sen. Kate Brown, who describes herself as bisexual, is the Democratic candidate for secretary of state. That's the No. 2 job in Oregon, which has no lieutenant governor. In one of the most conservative states, Democrat Jim Roth is seeking election to the three-member Oklahoma Corporation Commission, which oversees energy, transportation and utilities. In 2002, Roth became the first openly gay man to win any elected office in Oklahoma - a county government post. In Texas, Lupe Valdez faces tough opposition in her bid for re-election as Dallas County sheriff. In 2004, she became the first woman, first lesbian and first Latina sheriff. In Pennsylvania, the Victory Fund has endorsed Kevin Lee, a Democratic candidate for the state House of Representatives from suburban Philadelphia, and says he would - if victorious - be the first openly gay legislator ever in the state. Greg Kniffen (D) is running for State Representative in South Dakota. In Michigan, L. Garnet Lewis is running for the state legislature. Another political milestone is approaching in Portland, Ore., which is scheduled to become the nation's largest city with an openly gay mayor, when Sam Adams takes office in January. Adams averted the need for a Nov. 4 runoff election by winning 58 percent of the vote against a large field in first-round voting in May. The Victory Fund is the nation's largest LGBT political action committee, and the only national organization dedicated to increasing the number of out elected officials at all levels of government. Since its founding in 1991, the number of openly LGBT elected officials in the U.S. has grown from less than 50 to more than 420.