2010 Election Results
Dear Supporter,
There’s no doubt about it. This week’s election results are tough to bear. Though some pro-LGBT rights Republican and Democratic representatives and senators were re-elected, we suffered losses all over the country.
But here in Oregon we helped elect John Kitzhaber. While ballots are still being counted, the news media is now projecting that Kitzhaber will be our next Governor!
The race for Oregon’s governor was one of the closest in decades – and the right candidate prevailed. As a legislator John Kitzhaber voted for some of the earliest legislation introduced in Oregon to protect the gay and lesbian community from discrimination and will carry this history forward in his next term as Governor.
Unfortunately, several of our close allies in the Oregon House and Senate suffered from the anti-incumbent sentiment and won’t be returning to Salem. We’re deeply saddened by these results. But we’re committed to ensuring that equality stays on the advance here in Oregon. Also, it is critical to note that despite these losses, we expect that fair-minded legislators will continue to make up a majority of both chambers of the Oregon Legislature.
Across Oregon, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and our allies played a critical role in supporting these fair-minded public officials. Basic Rights Oregon ran our largest ever volunteer election effort. Together, we:
- Recruited and put into action 155 volunteers who kicked in more than 1,000 volunteer hours.
- Contacted more than 13,000 voters by phone and more at the doorstep.
- Sent out our online Vote Equality voter guide to 17,000 supporters.
- Contributed more than $30,000 directly to support targeted pro-equality candidate campaigns.
- Joined our friends at Partnership for Safety and Justice to educate our supporters about the impact of mandatory minimum sentencing on the LGBT community.
On the national front there was a significant shift in Congress. The Republicans won control of the U.S. House of Representatives, but the Democrats retained control of the U.S. Senate. We are conferring with our state and national partners on the implications for our movement’s federal priorities and will report back about what we hear.
What is clear is that we must press forward on our work on the state and local level. The road before us will not necessarily be easy and we must remain focused and committed to creating change. We have to bring dedication and tenacity to the work ahead – letting no one stand in the way of equality.
This dedication is how our movement succeeded this year in electing more LGBT candidates than ever before, including:
- Victoria Kolakowski, who will take the bench as an Alameda County, Calif. Superior Court judge and become the first openly transgender trial court judge in America.
- David Cicilline, currently mayor of Providence, R.I., who will become the fourth openly gay member of Congress when the U.S. House of Representatives convenes in January.
- Laurie Jinkins, who will serve as Washington state’s first openly lesbian state legislator.
- Marcus Brandon, who will become a member of the North Carolina House, the state’s only openly gay legislator and one of just five out African Americans state lawmakers.
- Kevin Lembo, who will become Connecticut State Comptroller, one of a handful of openly LGBT Americans holding a statewide office.
- Jim Gray, who will become the first openly gay mayor of Lexington, Kentucky.
Let’s take inspiration from their victories and those of our fair-minded friends for our work ahead in Oregon. Let’s rededicate ourselves to the fight, and not give up an inch.
On behalf of the boards and staff of Basic Rights Oregon and our Equality PAC, thank you for all that you did and will continue to do to advance equality in this state. We look forward to continuing our work together in the years ahead.
In solidarity,
Jeana Frazzini Margi Hoffmann
Executive Director Board Chair
Basic Rights Oregon Basic Rights Oregon Equality PAC