Washington, DC – Today, the Chairs of the Equality PAC, New Democrat Coalition Action Fund, Congressional Black Caucus PAC, CHC BOLD PAC, ASPIRE PAC, Congressional Progressive Caucus PAC, and Elect Democratic Women issued a joint statement condemning the Virginia Supreme Court’s decision to ignore the will of the voters and strike down the democratically-established congressional maps in Virginia:
“Americans’ voting rights are under attack. MAGA Republicans continue to cut undemocratic, unconstitutional, backroom deals with the help of their hand-picked judges, who are handing down baseless rulings from the bench. The people of Virginia made their voices heard through a free and fair election process, establishing new maps that valiantly fought back against Republican efforts to rig the midterms. Yet today, the Virginia Supreme Court chose to silence their voices. In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s demolition of the Voting Rights Act, Republicans in Florida, Texas, Louisiana, Tennessee and elsewhere are maliciously disenfranchising millions of Americans overnight against the will of the people.”
“We will not sit idly by as Republicans dismantle the progress that generations of Americans fought and died to deliver. We will use every tool at our disposal to fight back against this decision and every insidious effort to strip Americans of their fundamental freedoms. Democrats will make sure the voters have the final say in November, regardless of Republicans’ cowardly attempts to steal these midterms. And we will win.”
The statement was issued by the following Members:
- Equality PAC Co-Chairs, Rep. Mark Takano (CA-39) and Ritchie Torres (NY-15)
- New Democrat Coalition Action Fund Chair, Rep Greg Stanton (AZ-04)
- CBCPAC Chairman, Rep. Gregory Meeks (NY-05)
- CHC BOLD PAC Chairwoman, Rep. Linda Sánchez (CA-38)
- ASPIRE Chairwoman, Rep. Marilyn Strickland (WA-10)
- CPC PAC Co-Chairs, Rep. Greg Casar (TX-35), Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), and Rep. Maxwell Frost (FL-10)
- Elect Democratic Women Chairwoman, Rep. Lois Frankel (FL-22)
Equality PAC’s primary 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. Beyond this goal, Equality PAC also supports 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. All funds that Equality PAC raises are directed to re-elect and expand our small – but mighty – LGBTQ caucus and to elect a pro-Equality Majority in the House of Representatives.
Today, Equality PAC remains the only identity PAC that financially supports every Frontline Member and Red2Blue candidate 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.
In the short time that Equality PAC has existed, it 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).
And in the most recent elections, Equality PAC notched three huge historic wins: in TX-32 with Julie Johnson who made history as the first openly LGBTQ person ever elected to Congress from Texas or the South; in WA-06 with Emily Randall who made history as the first ever queer Latina elected to Congress and the first LGBTQ Member from Washington state; and with DE state Senator Sarah McBride in DE-AL as the first trans person ever elected to Congress.
With their elections, we have DOUBLED the number of LGBTQ women in the House from 3 to 6. And for the first time ever – there is parity within the LGBTQ caucus with 6 women and 6 men serving together in the House. This is an incredible accomplishment. On top of this, 5 of the 12 LGBTQ persons serving right now in the House are persons of color. These are incredible accomplishments for our community and its representation in Congress
Equality PAC has grown exponentially since its founding by Congressman Mark Takano and former Congressman (now Governor) Jared Polis in 2014 – when we raised $32,000 from some very loyal and trusting friends who took a chance on us and the experiment we were at the time. Today, we are extraordinarily grateful to have deeply committed and generous supporters in all 50 states, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico – and throughout the grassroots, labor, and business communities.
In total, during the 2023-24 election cycle, we raised and spent an impressive $23.4m for Equality PAC and direct contributions for our endorsed Members and candidates, state Party funds, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), and independent expenditure efforts. As we look to the 2026 election and possible opportunities – particularly in potential open House and Senate seat races – we anticipate making even more history and growing the LGBTQ House Caucus deeper into double digits and electing at least two new LGBTQ Senators.