Equality California Welcomes Pro-Equality Majorities in U.S. House and Senate

WASHINGTON - Equality California, the nation's largest statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, welcomed the election of pro-equality majorities in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. California voters helped flip the House by electing pro-equality candidates in key congressional districts. With pro-equality majorities in both chambers, Congress is better positioned to block attacks on LGBTQ+ people, protect access to healthcare and hold the Trump administration accountable.

Equality California Executive Director Tony Hoang released the following statement:

"We said the road to taking back the House ran through California, and California delivered. Across the country, voters also elected a pro-equality Senate majority. That changes what Congress can do. The House can investigate how this administration spends taxpayer dollars on mass deportations and enforcement tactics that spread fear in our communities. The Senate can scrutinize Trump's nominees. And both chambers can stand together against efforts to take away our healthcare or use transgender young people as bargaining chips.

From Marni von Wilpert in Southern California and Randy Villegas in the Central Valley to Dr. Richard Pan in the Sacramento region and Mike McGuire in Northern California, voters sent pro-equality champions to Washington. They will bring the concerns we heard from voters throughout this campaign to Congress, from the rising cost of healthcare to the need to protect our civil rights.

California voters also protected hard-won seats held by equality champions like Derek Tran, Dave Min, and George Whitesides. And by electing Scott Wiener, San Francisco is sending an openly LGBTQ+ leader with an extraordinary record of advancing equality to carry that fight to Congress.

A new House majority does not end the threats facing LGBTQ+ people. It gives us a stronger position from which to fight back. We will work with this majority to defend our communities, demand accountability and advance the federal protections LGBTQ+ people deserve."

California victories included Mike McGuire in CA-01, Dr. Richard Pan in CA-06, Randy Villegas in CA-22, and Marni von Wilpert in CA-48.

In CA-11, Scott Wiener's election to succeed Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi will make him the first openly LGBTQ+ person to represent San Francisco in Congress.

Equality California supported pro-equality candidates across the state through endorsements, voter education and mobilization. This election cycle, Equality California PAC and Equality California Votes, the independent federal super PAC aligned with Equality California, invested $750,000 to elect pro-equality candidates up and down the ballot. That total includes $600,000 from Equality California Votes and $150,000 from Equality California PAC, which made $70,000 in direct contributions to candidates and spent $80,000 on independent expenditures.

Equality California also reached more than 305,000 members through direct mail, email and text messages to get out the pro-equality vote. For a full list of endorsed candidates and election victories, visit eqca.org/elections.

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