A record number of LGBTQ candidates are running for Congress this cycle. And several of them are poised to make history if they are successful in November.
Delaware state Sen. Sarah McBride is on track to become the first transgender member of Congress. As the Democratic nominee for her state’s lone House district, which is solidly blue, McBride will almost certainly be serving in Congress next year.
Over in Texas, state Rep. Julie Johnson is running for a safe Democratic seat in Dallas. If she prevails, which is likely, Johnson would become the first openly gay member not only to represent the Lone Star State but the South in general.
Meanwhile, Washington state Sen. Emily Randall is the favorite to win an open blue seat, which would make her the first openly LGBTQ Latina member of Congress.
On the GOP side, New York House candidate Alison Esposito could become the first openly gay Republican woman in Congress. Esposito is locked in a competitive race against Rep. Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.).
Being the ‘first’: While McBride is excited about having a seat at the table, she also said there’s some pressure being the “first” of a marginalized identity to represent that community in Congress. “The only way that I can guarantee that I’m not the ‘last’ is to quite simply be the best member of Congress that I can be,” McBride said in an interview.
McBride also had to take other factors into consideration when deciding whether to run. “I had to grapple with the risk that comes with running for federal office as an out trans candidate,” McBride said. “Unfortunately, the risk of violence and even outright threats are not new for me.”
Asked whether she’s worried about serving alongside certain Republicans who have been hostile toward the trans community, McBride said, “I won’t be distracted by their immaturity. I’ll be focused on the job in front of me. Sticks and stones can break my bones.”
Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, said having more LGBTQ representation in Congress is crucial to advancing equal rights because it can help open up the eyes of skeptical colleagues.
“The more you get to know someone, it takes away any of the myths that are out there. It’s easier to hate someone you don’t know,” Pocan told us. “Sarah will be the most significant this cycle for that.”
Identity politics: While McBride acknowledged there’s going to be a “lot of attention around one aspect of who I am,” she also wants to make clear that she’s “not running to be a spokesperson for a movement.” McBride has other priorities she wants to address, such as health care, public safety and reproductive freedom.
Esposito also said she doesn’t want to be defined by her sexual identity. “That just happens to be part of who I am. I’m not really big on identity politics,” she told us. “I identify as an American first.”
Asked whether she feels welcome by her own party — which has promoted a number of anti-LGBTQ policies — Esposito said it’s a “lie” to suggest that Republicans are anti-gay.
“The Republican Party stands for personal freedoms, personal accountability and less government,” she said. “So they are not focused on making decisions in the home or about who we love.”
Esposito, however, said she wasn’t going to just rubber stamp the House GOP agenda. Republicans have pushed for provisions to weaken discrimination protections for same-sex couples and restrict gender-confirming care for adults and minors. “I’m not going to say I agree with any party 100% of the time,” Esposito said.
