A historic number of LGBTQ candidates will appear on ballots across the country in November. At least 1,095 lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and transgender (LGBT) people have run or are running for office at all levels this year, up from 1,006 in 2020, according to data from the LGBTQ Triumph Fund.
In New York, two gay candidates – Democrat Robert Zimmerman and Republican George Santos – are vying for the seat vacated by Democrat Tom Sozzi in New York’s third congressional district. This will be the first time in US history that two LGBT congressional candidates compete in a general election.
President Joe Biden holds the region by 10 points in 2020, but the race is seen as competitive, despite its penchant for democracy, according to Cook’s political report. It is one of 16 competitive races in which LGBTQ candidates appear, which may decide to dominate the US House of Representatives, according to the LGBTQ Victory Fund.
Although this race is guaranteed to lead to the victory of a gay candidate, the outcome of the election will help determine whether the Democrats cling to a slim majority in the House of Representatives.
“It would have happened sooner or later.”
The odds of confrontation between two gay candidates have risen in recent years, due to an increase in LGBTQ candidates at all levels of government.
Sooner or later it was going to happen,” said Donald Haider Markle, a professor of political science at the University of Kansas and author of Outside and Running: Gay and Lesbian Candidates, Elections and Policy Representation. “The question has always been to find an LGBTQ Republican who can get support in the primaries.”
Historically, there have been relatively few LGBTQ Republican candidates, although he said that Republican organizations such as Log Cabin Republicans have been around for a long time.
There are currently 11 openly LGBT people in Congress – two in the Senate and nine in the House – and they are all Democrats.
Santos, who hopes to overturn his party’s red zone, secured his party’s nomination in August for the second time. He ran against Suozzi in 2020 but lost in the general election.
Santos is the only openly gay Republican to run for Congress this fall, according to the LGBTQ Triumph Fund. If elected, he would be the first non-advanced LGBTQ Republican to be elected to Congress. Two former House Republicans—Steve Gunderson of Wisconsin and Jim Colby of Arizona—were re-elected (or, in Gunderson’s case, fired).
Santos said the historical nature of the race was “absolutely remarkable”.
“I think this shows that our country is still a bastion of progress and building justice for all,” he told NBC News.
Zimmerman said it would be “deeply meaningful” to be the first LGBT member of Congress from Long Island and Queens.
“When I was a kid, you would never have imagined a member of the LGBTQ community as a member of Congress,” he said. “I never dreamed that this was possible.”
‘We are very different’
While Santos and Zimmermann agree that their election is historic, this is in complete agreement with everything the two men agree on.
“Although we may share sexual orientation…we are very different,” Santos said. “Robert Zimmerman takes sides with the party that caused the inflation crisis.”
Santos emphasized the rising energy costs of some of his constituents. He also said he’s also running to fight against “one-party control in New York” that doesn’t allow for “a divergence of opinion” on how to tackle the rising cost of living in his district, though he said he’s willing to work with fellow Democrats to find solutions.
“We need to work with people who disagree with us,” Santos said. “I will represent the people who didn’t vote for me as much as the people who did.”
Zimmerman criticized Santos for his support of former President Donald Trump, who he said advocates an “anti-gay and bigoted” agenda.
I can’t resist any republican. I’m opposed to a Republican who is part of the radical party. He’s a MAGA candidate, Zimmerman said, using the acronym of Trump’s slogan, “Make America Great Again.”
Zimmerman said Santos’ support for Trump extends to participation in the Jan. 6, 2021, “Stop Theft” rally in Washington, DC.
“He defended the rebels,” Zimmerman said.
In a February 2021 interview with Lara Trump, Santos said, “I was at Ellipse on January 6. It was the most amazing crowd, and the president was in a complete stupor that day. It was an amazing sight for me.” Ellipse Park, 52 acres south of the White House, was the site of the rally that preceded the attack on the Capitol.
Santos denied participating in any insurrectionary activities.
“I wasn’t at the Capitol on January 6. That’s a lie,” he said. “I went out It’s too early to say it was a dark, dark day in our country and we needed a lot of therapy after that.”
When asked if he continues to support the former president, Santos said, “Donald Trump is not on the ballot.” He then criticized Zimmerman for focusing on the former president.
“This race is conducted around District 3 and New Yorkers, while Zimmerman is talking about Trump,” Santos said.
Trump’s January 6 rollout might be a good move for Zimmerman, because it could help boost turnout among Democratic voters: According to a recent NBC News poll, “threats to democracy” now outpace the cost of living as the number one issue facing the country among voters.
I think voters understand it. “I think people underestimate how worried voters are about moving forward with democracy,” Zimmerman said.
He has also been highly critical of Republican-sponsored anti-LGBTQ bills in state homes.
“A lot of parents of gay children have called me,” Zimmerman said. “The ‘No Less Gay’ bill has a horrific impact beyond Florida’s borders,” he added, referring to the Florida Parental Rights to Education Act, which limits classroom instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity. The measure is one of more than 340 anti-LGBTQ bills introduced this year by Republican lawmakers, according to the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBT advocacy group.
Many of these bills specifically target transgender people, limiting transgender people’s ability to exercise, use bathrooms that match their gender identity, and access gender-affirming health care.
“The Republican Party has made attacking LGBTQ people, especially transgender children, part of their platform this year,” said Albert Foggy, press secretary for the LGBTQ Victory Trust. “It is fundamental to their philosophy of governance. This is too bad.”
The LGBTQ Victory Fund, dedicated to supporting and electing LGBT people to public office, endorsed Zimmerman in the race.
Santos said he sees no contradiction between his identity and his party’s politics.
“As a lifelong Republican, I’ve never experienced discrimination in the GOP,” he said. “I am an openly gay candidate. I am not shy.”
Abortion is another issue that Zimmermann raises before November. Zimmerman, who supports abortion rights, said the Supreme Court’s recent decision to overturn Roe v. Wade is a major issue for voters in his district.
“I saw in my primary—and it really did arise from Roe’s reflection—an energy, vigor, and engagement that was not there before,” he said. “It was a call to action for Democrats.”
According to an NBC News poll last month, 58% of voters opposed the Supreme Court’s decision, compared to 38% who approved.
This week, Senator Lindsey Graham, R.S., unveiled federal legislation that, if passed, would ban abortion after 15 weeks. It’s unclear whether Graham will find much partisan support because the issue is likely to hurt them in competitive districts such as New York III.
In a September 2020 interview with the New York news website The Island Now, Santos said, “I will vote to support the abortion ban in the United States.” However, he told NBC News he would “never call for a complete ban.”
“There is no scenario on the ground where I would advocate a complete ban. Women in New York District 3 shouldn’t have to worry.”
The decision in Dobbs v. Jackson for Women’s Health, which overturned Roe v. Wade, also included a memorandum from Justice Clarence Thomas arguing that the Supreme Court should reconsider its 2015 decision legalizing same-sex marriage.
“Dobbs’ decision was a direct message to the LGBTQ community that you are ‘next,’ and that they are coming for us,” Zimmerman said.
As a result, Democratic House members introduced the Respect for Marriage Act that seeks to codify same-sex marriage in federal legislation. The bill passed the Democratic-controlled House, but faces an uncertain future in the Senate, where it needs at least 10 Republican votes to pass.
Senate leaders decided this week to postpone the vote on the bill until after the midterm elections.
Santos, who is married, said he supports the legalization of same-sex marriage but would not support a bill that would force religious institutions to deviate from their beliefs.
“I am not with the state to override the church,” he said.
47 Republicans voted in favor of the Respect for Marriage Act in the House, and Santos said, “It shows that the Republican Party is far from homophobic.”
With so many contentious issues in the game, neither candidate expects gender identity to be a deciding factor in November.
“The issue isn’t that we’re both gay,” Zimmerman said. “That’s what’s at stake nationally.”
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revision (September 22, 2022, 9:15 a.m.): An earlier version of this article misspelled a file The first name of the person who interviewed Santos In February 2021. It’s Lara Trump, not Laura.
from San Jose News Bulletin https://sjnewsbulletin.com/in-the-first-politician-two-gay-candidates-compete-in-the-congressional-elections/
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