From The LGBTQ Victory Fund:
Washington, DC — U.S. Representative Kyrsten Sinema was tonight declared the winner in the U.S. Senate race in Arizona, becoming the first openly bisexual person elected to the U.S. Senate and just the second openly LGBTQ person ever elected to the body. Sinema defeated an anti-LGBTQ challenger to take the seat in an extremely close race that was one of the most watched in the nation. Sinema joins U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin and eight other openly LGBTQ people who have won their races for U.S. Congress so far — a historic number. There are currently just seven openly LGBTQ members serving in Congress.
Victory Fund made Sinema one of its "Game Changer" candidates early on in her campaign. It held fundraisers on her behalf, directly contributed $10,000, and raised more than $97,000.
"An LGBTQ woman winning a U.S. Senate seat in a state that voted for Trump is a game-changer, both for the LGBTQ community and the Democratic party," said Mayor Annise Parker, President & CEO of LGBTQ Victory Fund. "Kyrsten's victory makes clear that an LGBTQ candidate who listens to voters and prioritizes their issues can win elected office anywhere — blue state or red state. It also signals to the Democratic party that nominating more LGBTQ candidates for high-level positions should be a strategic priority, because their openness and authenticity resonates with independent voters. Now Kyrsten joins Senator Tammy Baldwin, fresh off a huge reelection victory, in a U.S. Senate that continues to disregard White House attacks on our community and refuses to consider protections that most Americans support. By doubling our influence with two passionate and tough LGBTQ women, however, the U.S. Senate will certainly find our community more difficult to ignore."
Election Night Results: View election results for the 225 openly LGBTQ Victory Fund endorsed candidates. The latest updates can be found at victoryfund.org/results2018.
Rainbow Wave by the Numbers: LGBTQ Victory Fund released several reports on the unprecedented Rainbow Wave of openly LGBTQ candidates who ran for office during the 2018 election cycle, including one reporting on the total number of candidates who ran, another looking at the total number of candidates by state, and one analyzing Congressional and gubernatorial nominees.
—From a LGBTQ Victory Fund press release
LGBTQ Victory Fund works to change the face and voice of America's politics and achieve equality for LGBTQ Americans by increasing the number of openly LGBTQ elected officials at all levels of government.
victoryfund.org .
* * *
Planned Parenthood Action Fund Congratulates Senator-elect Kyrsten Sinema
PHOENIX, AZ - Today, Kyrsten Sinema was elected to be one of the U.S. Senators for Arizona. Kyrsten Sinema is the first woman to represent Arizona in the United State Senate and the first Democrat to represent the state in more than two decades.
Sinema trusts women and knows that health care decisions should be between a woman and her health care provider — not politicians in Washington. She has been a consistent and vocal champion for people's health care, making it a central tenet of her campaign. In contrast, Martha McSally would have been a disaster for women — in particular McSally previously voted to block Planned Parenthood patients from care, to repeal the Affordable Care Act ( ACA ), and against access to safe and legal abortion.
Quote from Dr. Leana Wen, President of Planned Parenthood Action Fund: "Congratulations to Kyrsten Sinema on her historic won. Kyrsten Sinema ran a campaign focused on the issues that every day Arizonans care about - including access to health care and the ability to make your own decisions about your body. For the tens of thousands of Arizonans that rely on Planned Parenthood health centers for their care, this election means they have a champion in the United States Senate. Planned Parenthood Action Fund looks forward to working with Senator Sinema to help protect and expand access to women's health care."
Quote from Jodi Liggett, Executive Director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona:
"Planned Parenthood Advocates of Arizona is thrilled to congratulate Kyrsten Sinema. The majority of Arizonans support access to care at Planned Parenthood health centers and now our Senator represents our values. Kyrsten has been a champion fighting for Arizonan's health and rights since her days in the Arizona House of Representatives and we look forward to continuing our work together."
Despite the fact that Arizonans overwhelmingly support access to care at Planned Parenthood health centers, McSally has voted eight times to block access to that care.
Planned Parenthood Action Fund made the difference in the Arizona elections this November:
Planned Parenthood Action Fund mobilized its Arizona members to get out the vote as volunteers for Kyrsten Sinema and David Garcia. There are over 9,200 Planned Parenthood Action Fund members in Arizona, with 6,467 Arizonans joining Action Fund in last year to defend people's health and rights. Planned Parenthood Action Fund members rallied and volunteered for Sinema for Arizona to elect Kyrsten Sinema to the U.S. Senate, knocking on more than 16,000 doors and making more than one thousand phone calls to Arizona voters.
Planned Parenthood Votes made the difference in the Arizona elections this November:
Planned Parenthood Votes made an investment of $2 million, including a $500,000 digital ad buy to educate voters about Martha McSally's voting record, including votes to strip protections for people with pre-existing conditions and "defund" Planned Parenthood. In addition to the digital ads, the electoral program included a robust door-to-door canvassing program to reach voters, educate them about what's at stake in the midterms, and mobilize them to vote. The program reached more than 400,000 Arizona voters through door knocking, digital, and mail.
—From a Planned Parenthood Action Fund press release
Planned Parenthood Action Fund is an independent, nonpartisan, not-for-profit membership organization formed as the advocacy and political arm of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. The Action Fund engages in educational, advocacy and electoral activity, including grassroots organizing, legislative advocacy, and voter education.
Planned Parenthood Votes is an independent expenditure political committee registered with the Federal Election Commission
