Sixty-seven candidates endorsed by the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund were elected in 2006 (some earlier in the year) to federal, state, and local offices, according to a press release from the LGBT political action committee:
“Key victories across the country include Patricia Todd (whose ugly battle we posted about earlier this year), who will represent District 54 in the Alabama State House. Todd is the first openly gay person ever elected to any office in the state; Kathy Webb, who will represent District 37 in the Arkansas State House. Webb is the first openly gay person ever elected to any office in the state; Henry Fernandez, who won a seat on the Lawrence Township School Board, making him the first openly gay person ever elected to any office in Indiana; Al McAffrey (whom we've also mentioned here), who will represent District 88 in the Oklahoma State House. McAffrey is the first openly gay person ever elected to the Oklahoma state legislature; Jolie Justus, who will represent District 10 in the Missouri State Senate. Justus is the first openly gay state senator in Missouri history; Ed Murray, who will represent District 43 in the Washington State Senate. Murray, a former state representative, is the first openly gay state senator in Washington history; Matt McCoy, who becomes the first openly gay candidate ever elected to the Iowa legislature. McCoy, a sitting state senator, came out during his last term; Ken Keechl, who won a seat on the Broward County Commission in Florida, beating an appointee of Gov. Jeb Bush; Jamie Pedersen, (another elected earlier this year)who becomes the third consecutive openly gay person to be elected to represent District 43 in the Washington State House; Judge Virginia Linder will join Rives Kistler on the Oregon Supreme Court, making it the first state ever to have two openly gay Supreme Court Justices, according to preliminary results.”
According to the Victory Fund, seven states (Alaska, Louisiana, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, West Virginia) still have no openly elected LGBT officials at any level of government, and 13 states (Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Kansas, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Wyoming) have no openly LGBT legislators.
