Washington, DC – Today, Equality PAC released the following statement celebrating State Representative Julie Johnson’s victory in Texas’ 32nd Congressional District Democratic Primary. In the election, Julie secured more than 50 percent of the vote and will avoid a runoff. With her primary win in this safe Democratic seat, Julie will make history as the first openly LGBTQ member of Congress from Texas and first LGBTQ person elected to federal office from the South.
“Voters in Texas’ 32nd Congressional District sent a clear message that they want a trusted and experienced representative that will fight for equality and LGBTQ rights, for women’s health and reproductive freedom, and common sense gun safety measures. And in a place like Texas, where LGBTQ rights have come under constant attack from right-wing extremists, we needed a candidate to help us defend our community,” said Equality PAC Co-Chairs Ranking Member Mark Takano (D-CA) and Congressman Ritchie Torres (D-NY). “One of Equality PAC’s many goals is to ensure that every LGBTQ person in every corner of our nation has a voice in their government. Equality PAC helped recruit Julie Johnson into this race. And just like we have done in so many other races around the country, we came in early, spent resources building a base, and defied the odds, garnering enough support in a crowded primary field to not only win, but avoid a costly runoff election in May. We have proven that when we bring our community together to invest in a candidate that represents our values, we can change the state of any race. We want to congratulate Julie on this hard-fought victory and we want to thank her friends, family, and supporters who helped make history. Together, we are taking the first step in electing the first openly LGBTQ person to represent Texas in Congress and first LGBTQ person elected to federal office from the South at the federal level. Julie’s win gives LGBTQ Americans across this region representation they have never had before, and we are now one step closer to creating that more perfect union we work towards everyday. We told Julie we were all-in, and we meant it. And we could not be more proud and absolutely thrilled to celebrate her and this win today.”
Equality PAC helped to recruit Julie Johnson into this race and we were one of her first endorsers once she filed. In addition, Equality PAC’s independent expenditure arm invested significant resources throughout the primary.
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.
