Growing number of LGBT candidates seek political office in 2010

On the heels of the election of out politicians in Texas and North Carolina, this year could indeed prove a momentous one for LGBT candidates.

Houston voters elected lesbian Annise Parker as their city's mayor last December. Parker has been open about her sexual orientation throughout her political career and has three adopted children with her longtime partner, Kathy Hubbard. It did not become an issue during the campaign. And a Houston Chronicle/Zogby poll found only 18 percent of likely voters said Parker's sexual orientation mattered.

In North Carolina, Chapel Hill voters elected gay City Councilor Mark Kleinschmidt last year. He is the fifth openly-gay North Carolinian elected to political office in the state's history.

The Southern Political Report notes the number of openly gay politicians in the South has more than doubled--from just 31 officials in 2001 to nearly 80--over the last decade. And even more LGBT candidates are on tap to potentially win their contests in other states this year.

Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate Charlie Baker has chosen openly gay state Sen. Richard Tisei [R-Wakefield] as his running mate. And state Republicans officially nominated the two men at their party's convention last month; in spite of Baker's opposition to adding gender identity and expression to the Commonwealth's non-discrimination laws.

Tisei has won the endorsement of the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund, along with Californian Steve Pougnet.

Pougnet, who has served on the Palm Springs City Council and served as the city's mayor, is a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in the state's 45th Congressional District.He has already garnered strong national support from the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, as well as national press attention to what is viewed as one of the most vulnerable districts for Republicans among the 2010 congressional races. If elected, Pougnet would join U.S. Reps. Barney Frank [D-Mass.,] Tammy Baldwin [D-Wis.] and Jared Polis [D-Colo.] as the only openly gay members of Congress.

In Rhode Island, another Congressional candidate is Providence Mayor David Cicilline, who is one of the leading contenders to succeed outgoing U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy, who decided not to seek re-election following the death of his father, the late-U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy [D-Mass.] in August. Cicilline spoke with EDGE in March.

"It is clear to me that Washington has lost sight of what hardworking, middle class families are going through in this country," he said. "There is a dangerous disconnect between what is happening to families living in cities and towns in Rhode Island and all across this country and what Washington is doing about it. We need someone who can provide practical solutions to the real problems facing families and work to develop solutions that improve people's lives."

Outside Capitol Hill, there are several other candidates who seek to become state representatives, senators or judges. These include Jill Ravitch, candidate for Sonoma County, Calif., District Attorney and Tina Kotek, who is seeking another term in the Oregon House of Representatives.

Jim Gray, who is the president and chief executive officer of a local construction company is a candidate for Mayor of Lexington, Kentucky. He came out in 2005, and Lexington voters elected him vice-mayor in 2006.

"I believe my personal life is just that," Gray told the Lexington Herald-Leader. "But at the same time, I realize [Lexington] is a small community and people want to know."

Rebecca Kaplan is running for Mayor of Oakland, California. She stressed her credentials in an interview with Oakland Focus.

"I certainly am not short in experience-I have been a staffer in government, I served for many years on the Board of AC Transit, in an elected seat which includes all of Oakland, and I have a strong record of making things happen," said Kaplan. "But most importantly, I am willing to innovate and bring a fresh point of view."