2020 LGBTQ Candidate Diversity Report Released;
At Least 1,006 LGBTQ People Running in 2020
By Victory Fund
More LGBTQ people ran or are running in 2020 than ever before;
The LGBTQ Victory Fund, the only national organization dedicated to electing LGBTQ leaders to public office, released its inaugural Out on the Trail report, which details the diversity of LGBTQ candidates who ran for office in 2020. At least 1,006 openly LGBTQ people ran or are running in 2020 – a historic number – and a 41 percent increase since the 2018 midterm elections. The report found that LGBTQ candidates in 2020 are significantly more racially and ethnically diverse than the overall U.S. candidate population and that more bisexual and queer candidates are stepping up to run than ever before. The report also shows the number of LGBTQ candidates who ran in each state.
Among the key findings:
- At least 574 openly LGBTQ candidates will appear on the general election ballot in November, a 33 percent increase since 2018;
- 31 percent of LGBTQ candidates running in 2020 identify as people of color, making it significantly more racially and ethnically diverse than the general candidate population (which is just 10 percent people of color);
- LGBTQ men of color are running in numbers proportional to men of color in the overall U.S. population (19 percent), yet LGBTQ women of color are running at rates just half their proportion in the U.S. population (10 percent and 20 percent, respectively);
- The proportion of bisexual and queer candidates in the total LGBTQ candidate population grew significantly from 2018 to 2020, but the proportion of lesbian candidates dropped.
- The number of transgender people running for office decreased between 2018 and 2020 (from 48 to 34), yet the number of genderqueer/non-binary/gender non-conforming candidates increased dramatically (from six to 25).
- Alabama is the only state where zero known openly LGBTQ candidates ran in 2020, while California, Texas and Florida were the states with the greatest number of LGBTQ candidates running.
- Victory Fund’s 2020 endorsed LGBTQ candidates are slightly more diverse than the overall LGBTQ candidate population in 2020.
“A historic number of openly LGBTQ people are running for office this year and we have the opportunity to elect an unprecedented number on Election Day,” said Mayor Annise Parker, President & CEO of LGBTQ Victory Fund. “While LGBTQ candidates are significantly more diverse than U.S. candidates overall, we must continue to break down the barriers LGBTQ people of color, women and trans people face when considering a run for office. Our government must reflect the diversity of America.”
The entire Out on the Trail digital report can be viewed at victoryfund.org/outonthetrail.
