WASHINGTON–LGBTQ+ candidates in Wisconsin maintained critical voices on Capitol Hill after Tuesday’s election and increased LGBTQ+ representation in the state legislature.
“We are proud of the victories on election night of the great candidates we have in Wisconsin, including one of our most proven and valued political leaders Sen. Tammy Baldwin,” says LGBTQ+ Victory Fund President & CEO Mayor Annise Parker. “LGBTQ+ Victory Fund staff and volunteers, myself included, focused heavily on Wisconsin with grassroots organizing and on-the-ground support, and we are thrilled to see the success this week.”
Wisconsin is the only state with LGBTQ+ representatives in both the House and the Senate. Sen. Tammy Baldwin won her hard-fought race against Eric Hovde, enduring homophobic attacks against her and her partner on the campaign trail. Sen. Baldwin is the lone LGBTQ+ voice in the Senate as Sen. Laphonza Butler and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema did not seek reelection. Rep. Mark Pocan also won reelection to the U.S. House of Representatives, beating opponent Erik Olsen by more than 40 points according to AP.
“Despite the homophobic rhetoric and vitriol, Wisconsin voters broke through the noise and elected the largest cohort of LGBTQ+ legislative voices ever to serve their communities, says LGBTQ+ Victory Fund President & CEO Mayor Annise Parker. “We’re grateful to Wisconsin voters for their confidence in our candidates and for making LGBTQ+ history for their state.”
LGBTQ+ representation in the Wisconsin state legislature also increased after election night. Kristen Alfheim won a key battleground seat and made history as the first out LGBTQ+ person to represent the Fox Valley in the Wisconsin State Senate. Voters elected six new LGBTQ+ representatives to the State Assembly, creating the largest group of LGBTQ+ state legislators in Wisconsin history. New Assembly members Angelina Cruz, Christian Phelps, Angela Stroud, Amaad Rivera-Wagner, Ryan Spaude, and Randy Udell were all elected or ran unopposed in Tuesday’s election. Rivera-Wagner will be the first out gay Black legislator in Wisconsin history. Incumbent Assembly members Greta Neubauer and Lee Snodgrass also won their re-election bids.
20 LGBTQ+ candidates endorsed by Victory Fund won in Wisconsin’s fall and spring elections this year, including 12 in November. For more election night results, visit our Election 2024 tracker.
About LGBTQ+ Victory Fund
LGBTQ+ Victory Fund works to achieve and sustain equality by increasing the number of out LGBTQ+ elected officials at all levels of government while ensuring they reflect the diversity of those they serve. Since 1991, LGBTQ+ Victory Fund has helped thousands of LGBTQ+ candidates win local, state, and federal elections.
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