Washington, DC – Today, Equality PAC released the following statement on Vice President Harris’ decision to select Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate in the 2024 presidential election.
“In 1999, at Mankato West High School in rural Minnesota where Governor Walz taught geography, a student approached Walz and asked him to be the faculty advisor for the school’s gay-straight alliance. Walz agreed because he knew that by being a good ally, he could help change hearts and minds at a time when there was little support for the gay community.” said Equality PAC Co-Chairs Ranking Member Mark Takano (D-CA) and Congressman Ritchie Torres (D-NY). “That story encompasses the type of ally Tim Walz is and will be as Vice President of the United States. In Congress and as governor, Tim has always stood for what is right, even if it didn’t make him the most popular person in the room. His support for the LGBTQ community has been steadfast. And at a time when LGBTQ Americans have come under attack from MAGA extremists, we need strong allies now more than ever before. With a new Pro-Equality Majority in Congress, we look forward to working with Governor Walz to pass the Equality Act and defend LGBTQ rights and freedoms. We want to congratulate Governor Walz on this appointment and are excited as we move one step closer to a Democratic victory this November.”
Equality PAC’s mission is simple: to elect more LGBTQ+ persons to Congress — individuals who will have a seat at the table, impact the debate, and humanize the LGBTQ community’s concerns. All the funds we raise are used to elect and re-elect LGBTQ persons to Congress and secondarily support strong LGBTQ community allies who will proudly and unapologetically stand with us in the fight to pass the Equality Act and equal protection under our nation’s laws.
In the short time that Equality PAC has existed, Equality PAC has played an unmatched role in making history for the LGBTQ community, electing LGBTQ leaders at the federal level such as current House Members Sharice Davis (Kansas); Ritchie Torres (New York); Becca Balint (Vermont); Robert Garcia (California); Eric Sorensen (Illinois); Angie Craig (Minnesota); and Chris Pappas (New Hampshire), as well as former House Member Mondaire Jones (New York). Equality PAC has been instrumental in winning key races that have determined control of Congress because we know that without pro-Equality majorities, the progress our community has made and the civil rights and equal protections we have fought so hard for, and are still fighting for every day, remain in jeopardy.
