GARY, INDIANA – Today, Indiana Democratic congressional candidate Sabrina Haake received the endorsement of Equality PAC, the political action committee formed by leaders of the Congressional LGBTQ Equality Caucus. In announcing today’s endorsement, the powerful political group highlighted Haake’s career of fighting for the underdog.
“Sabrina Haake has been fighting for the underdog her whole life, and her success is public record. She’s single- handedly taken on large corporate adversaries, representing victims of corporate abuse, and has won every jury trial, and every federal summary judgment of substance, in her 26-year legal career. Sabrina achieved this stunning record through determination, a strong work ethic, and a steadfast refusal to be cowed by corporate power,” said Equality PAC Co-Chair and Rhode Island Congressman David Cicilline. “From fighting for humane treatment of animals as a community organizer, to fighting for protection of LGBTQQ citizens in her hometown of Gary, Indiana, Sabrina Haake has dedicated her life to making a real difference in her community. Our caucus is dedicated to helping Sabrina break barriers as NWI’s first LGBTQ congresswoman and we’re going to do everything we can to help her win this historic race.”
In addition to her extraordinary litigation record, Haake is the only candidate vying for Indiana’s 1st district seat who has experience at municipal, state, federal, and international levels of government. As a former Indiana House of Representatives legislative intern, and an alumnus of the prestigious Indiana Governor’s Fellowship program, Sabrina also served in an advisory capacity to Indiana Governors of both parties (Orr-R, and Bayh-D), as well as to Gary’s Mayor Jerome Prince. As a community organizer in Gary, Indiana, she directed the innovative “Reimagine Gary” citizens’ engagement initiative; she fought to change Gary’s humane treatment law to protect abused animals; and she pushed the city to amend its human rights ordinance, which until 2020 excluded LGBTQ residents from protection. She also earned an Indiana “Sagamore of the Wabash” award, the highest civic honor bestowed by an Indiana governor.
Sabrina graduated from Indiana University School of Law, and studied commercial codes in Shanghai, China and London, England. She then became General Counsel to a manufacturer, and spent the next ten years negotiating trade and license agreements all over the world. Her global business experience informs her economic development plan, centered on growing the NWI economy and closing the income gap, as it transitions to a renewable energy economy. Sabrina’s scholarship on Constitutional law, antitrust, and civil rights has been published in numerous law journals, including the comparative law journals of Tulane Law School, Howard University Law School, and Indiana University School of law.
“Sabrina Haake would be the first LGBTQ member elected to Congress in NWI, and Equality PAC is proud to be on the frontlines of her historic campaign,” said Equality PAC Co-Chair and California Congressman Mark Takano. “Like many Americans, Sabrina was born into a struggling family, and she waited tables through high school and college to pull herself up. She also put herself through law school, renovating houses on the weekends and after work, and is living proof that the American Dream is still alive and still worth fighting for. I know that when she’s elected to Congress, Sabrina will continue to stand up for equality for all Americans and will keep fighting to give everyone a fair shot at the American Dream.”
Equality PAC is the political arm of the Congressional LGBTQ Equality Caucus and is dedicated to the full legal and societal equality for LGBTQ Americans. All funds raised into Equality PAC are spent supporting and electing openly LGBTQ individuals and strong LGBTQ allies to the United States Congress and Senate
who are committed to passing the Equality Act and to ensuring full civil rights and protections for all LGBTQ individuals.
Last year, Equality PAC made history by helping to elect Senator Kyrsten Sinema (AZ), re-electing Senator Tammy Baldwin (WI), and electing four new Members of Congress: Angie Craig (MN), Chris Pappas (NH), Katie Hill (CA), and Sharice Davids (KS). In total, Equality PAC contributed nearly $3m towards the effort to flip the House during the midterm elections and plans to continue building on that progress in the 2020 elections with endorsed LGBTQ candidates in open Democratic seats in California, New York, Indiana, Washington, and New Mexico; an open-Republican Red2Blue seat in Texas; and a targeted Red2Blue seat in Michigan.
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Date: April 25, 2020
Contact: Jeff Larivee, (202) 821-5203
