LGBTQ+ Victory Fund Shines National Spotlight on These Candidates

Since 1991, LGBTQ+ Victory Fund has helped elect thousands of candidates to positions at all levels of government. The organization supports pro-equality, pro-choice, out LGBTQ+ candidates who it knows can win their elections and fight for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community. The following are candidates the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund is supporting on a national level:

Angie Craig, candidate for U.S. Senate, Minnesota.

Angie Craig — Minnesota

Position Sought: U.S. Senate · Current Position: U.S. House of Representatives, MN-02 · Party: Democrat · Primary: August 11, 2026 · General: November 3, 2026 · Goal: First out LGBTQ+ Senator from Minnesota

Angie Craig's life is a story of grit, determination, and an unshakeable commitment to leveling the playing field for Minnesotans. She grew up in a mobile home park and was raised by a single mom. Working two jobs, she helped put herself through state college. She started her career as a newspaper reporter and worked her way up over 20 years in business, eventually leading a workforce of 16,000 for a major Minnesota manufacturer.

Craig is married to a former Minnesota middle school teacher, Cheryl. The two are mothers to four amazing adult men and grandmothers to three young grandsons.

Craig flipped a Republican congressional seat and helped take back Congress in 2018. During her time in Congress, she has taken on the powerful to fight for what's right. She's taken on Big Pharma, writing legislation to lower the cost of prescription drugs. She's stood up to corporate monopolies that are jacking up costs. She's worked to expand apprenticeship and job training programs and fought like hell on behalf of family farmers.

Sharice Davids, U.S. House of Representatives, KS-03.

Sharice Davids — Kansas

Position Sought: U.S. House of Representatives, KS-03 · Current Position: U.S. House of Representatives, KS-03 · Party: Democrat · Primary: August 4, 2026 · General: November 3, 2026 · Milestones: First out LGBTQ member of Congress from Kansas and one of the first Native American women elected to the U.S. Congress

Sharice Davids is currently serving Kansas' Third Congressional District in Congress. She was raised by a single mom who spent more than 20 years serving in the U.S. Army. Davids was the first person in her family to attend college. She worked her way from Johnson County Community College to Cornell Law School, juggling multiple jobs to put herself through school.

Davids went on to work in economic and community development on Native American reservations, helping tribes to create programs and initiatives for growth. This work inspired her to apply for the prestigious White House Fellowship program, where she served under President Obama.

Davids ran for Congress to give Kansans a voice who represents their values and interests, and to make sure everyone has the same opportunities to achieve their goals that she did. In flipping this seat from red to blue, she became one of the first two Native American women ever to serve in Congress and the first LGBTQ+ Native American elected to Congress.

Jolanda Jones, candidate for U.S. House of Representatives, TX-18.

Jolanda Jones — Texas

Position Sought: U.S. House of Representatives, TX-18 · Current Position: Texas House of Representatives, District 147 · Party: Democrat · General Election: November 4, 2025 · Goal: First out LGBTQ+ Black woman elected to Congress

Jolanda Jones has worked on behalf of LGBTQ+ people for decades. As the first openly LGBTQ+ Black representative elected to the Texas House, she helped pass the bill to repeal the sodomy law. She vehemently fought against the multitude of anti-trans legislation — and she won't stop fighting until they are all repealed.

In Congress, Jones will fight to stop cuts to healthcare and Medicaid, Social Security, education, and veterans. She'll fight to lower the cost of prescription drugs, expand coverage for mental health care and substance abuse, and make healthcare more affordable and accessible for all.

JoAnna Mendoza, candidate for U.S. House of Representatives, AZ-06.

JoAnna Mendoza — Arizona

Position Sought: U.S. House of Representatives, AZ-06 · Party: Democrat · Primary: August 4, 2026 · General: November 3, 2026 · Goal: First LGBTQ+ person to represent AZ-06 in Congress

JoAnna Mendoza was born and raised in Pinal County, Arizona. She grew up in a farmworker family, experiencing firsthand the challenges of poverty in a rural area. Despite their hard work, her family often struggled to make ends meet. This experience instilled in her a strong desire to give back to her community and embark on a career of public service.

At 17, Mendoza answered the call to serve her country in the U.S. Navy, where she spent three years before joining the U.S. Marine Corps. She became a drill instructor, deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, and over her 20-year military career witnessed the immense sacrifices made by service members and their families.

Upon retirement, Mendoza came home to Arizona to raise her son, Aidan, as a single mom. She is dedicated to serving the communities that shaped her. A lifelong servant leader, she is deeply committed to tackling the challenges facing her district, including reducing the cost of food, gas, and housing.

Kevin Morrison, candidate for U.S. House of Representatives, IL-08.

Kevin Morrison — Illinois

Position Sought: U.S. House of Representatives, IL-08 · Current Position: Cook County Commission, District 15 · Party: Democrat · Primary: March 17, 2026 · General: November 3, 2026 · Goal: Second out LGBTQ+ member of Congress from Illinois

I am the grandson of Italian immigrants. My grandparents came to America with almost nothing after my great-grandfather was murdered at the end of World War II. My grandpa sold vegetables out of a truck in Chicago and used the money he earned to open a snack shop. As the business grew, he bought the restaurant in Norwood Park that my family still owns today.

By the time I was born, my ma and my aunt were running the restaurant. It was rare to see women in charge, especially then. Witnessing the misogyny my mother experienced as a business owner helped inform me of the injustices that still impact so many communities today.

As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I've lived through discrimination, too. I spent years in the closet, and I was bullied in school. For a long time, I didn't think someone like me could be elected to public office, because I had never seen it.

Jeremy Moss, candidate for U.S. House of Representatives, MI-11.

Jeremy Moss — Michigan

Position Sought: U.S. House of Representatives, MI-11 · Current Position: Michigan State Senate, District 11 · Party: Democrat · Primary: August 4, 2026 · General: November 3, 2026 · Goal: First out LGBTQ+ member of Congress from Michigan

Jeremy Moss is running for Congress in this critical moment because he believes we need a new generation of leaders to step up, take action and fight back. An Oakland County native and a barrier-breaking lawmaker, Moss has a record of delivering results and reforming government institutions to better serve Michiganders.

As Michigan's first openly gay Senator, he strengthened the state's civil rights law to ban housing and employment discrimination. As chair of the Michigan Senate Elections Committee, he expanded access to the ballot box. And when Roe v. Wade was overturned, he acted swiftly to safeguard reproductive healthcare.

Chris Pappas, candidate for U.S. Senate, New Hampshire.

Chris Pappas — New Hampshire

Position Sought: U.S. Senate · Current Position: U.S. House of Representatives, NH-01 · Party: Democrat · General Election: November 3, 2026 · Goal: First out LGBTQ+ man elected to the U.S. Senate

Born and raised in Manchester, New Hampshire, Chris Pappas is a small business owner and community-driven leader with a record of addressing some of New Hampshire's most pressing challenges. After graduating from Harvard College in 2002, Pappas returned to New Hampshire to help run his family's 106-year-old business, the Puritan Backroom Restaurant. When he was elected to the U.S. House in 2018, he became New Hampshire's first openly gay member of Congress.

In Congress, Pappas serves on the Veterans' Affairs Committee, Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and Small Business Committee. He has sponsored legislation to support New Hampshire's small businesses, improve access to affordable health care for Granite Staters, fight to get veterans the benefits they have earned, combat the opioid epidemic, and protect our drinking water.

Emily Randall, U.S. House of Representatives, WA-06.

Emily Randall — Washington

Position Sought: U.S. House of Representatives, WA-06 · Current Position: U.S. House of Representatives, WA-06 · Party: Democrat · Primary: August 4, 2026 · General: November 3, 2026 · Milestone: First out LGBTQ+ Latina in Congress

Emily Randall is running for Congress in the district where she grew up. She comes from a family of public servants, committed to their friends and neighbors. As a queer woman of color, she is inspired to bring an intersectional lens to the issues she cares deeply about — from women's health and reproductive justice, to LGBTQ equality and environmental justice.

Eric Sorensen, U.S. House of Representatives, IL-17.

Eric Sorensen — Illinois

Position Sought: U.S. House of Representatives, IL-17 · Current Position: U.S. House of Representatives, IL-17 · Party: Democrat · Primary: March 17, 2026 · General: November 3, 2026 · Milestone: First out LGBTQ+ person elected to Congress from Illinois

Growing up, Eric Sorensen was terrified of storms. But his local weatherman, "TV Eric," explained what was happening, and helped him feel safe during them. From a young age Sorensen knew he wanted to be "TV Eric."

Sorensen came out while attending Northern Illinois University and received tremendous support from his friends and family. He experienced discrimination in his first television job in Texas — he was called into his boss's office with a copy of his contract sitting on the desk and the "moral clause" highlighted. He was told he couldn't be gay and work there.

Sorensen's experiences in Rockford and the Quad Cities were quite different — he was able to be out on TV. In the Quad Cities, he took a more active role in his LGBTQ+ community, serving on the boards of Clock Inc. and The Project of the Quad Cities. Today Sorensen lives in Moline with his partner, Shawn, and their two dogs, Oliver and Petey.

Toni Atkins, candidate for Governor of California.

Special Featured Candidate: Toni Atkins — California

Position Sought: Governor of California · Party: Democrat · Primary: June 2, 2026 · General: November 3, 2026 · Goal: First woman and first out LGBTQ+ governor of California

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Atkins is the first person in 150 years, the third person in California history, and the only woman to lead both houses of the Legislature.

Toni Atkins' story started in the rural reaches of Appalachia, where she grew up one of four children. Despite working themselves to the bone, her father, a lead and coal miner, and her mother, a seamstress who worked in a garment factory, lived paycheck to paycheck and rented a home without running water and an outhouse to share.

She went to church camp on a scholarship and dreamed of being the first person in her family to go to college. That dream came true as she worked hard in school and graduated from Emory & Henry College in Virginia.

At just 27, she was named the director of clinic services at San Diego's Womancare Health Center, where she helped low-income women access reproductive care — even when anti-abortion extremists tried to block access. Years later, as a legislator, she proudly wrote laws that removed obstacles keeping women from getting the healthcare they needed, especially in rural areas and other underserved communities.

Elected by voters to the state Assembly in 2010, Atkins served there for six years. In 2014, her colleagues selected her to be the Speaker of the Assembly, becoming the first San Diegan and the first lesbian to hold the position. In that role, as someone who grew up in a house without running water, Atkins counts passing a $7.5 billion investment in clean, safe and reliable drinking water supplies as one of her proudest accomplishments.

In 2016, San Diego voters elected her to the state Senate — and after just one year, she was selected by her colleagues to serve as Senate President Pro Tempore, becoming the first woman and the first openly LGBTQ+ person to lead the Legislature's upper house. Atkins is the first person in 150 years, the third person in California history, and the only woman to lead both houses of the Legislature.