LPAC's November 2023 Endorsements
Washington D.C. (November 21, 2023) – LPAC, the only organization dedicated to electing LGBTQ women and nonbinary people to local, state, and federal office, is excited to announce our endorsement of 17 LGBTQ women and nonbinary candidates running in the 2024 cycle! You can find out more about this month's endorsees below.
Emily Randall (she/her), U.S. House of Representatives, WA-06
State Senator Emily Randall is a Democrat running for Washington’s sixth congressional district. If elected, she would be the first out LGBTQ Latina elected to Congress and the first out LGBTQ person elected to Congress from the state of Washington!
Imani Barnes (she/her), Georgia House of Representatives (District 86)
Representative Imani Barnes is a Democrat running for a second term in the Georgia House of Representatives. Barnes is a Public Health doctoral candidate, biomedical research scientist, youth development coach, and parent and community advocate. During her short time in office, she has already secured $6 million in funding for free lunch for over 70,000 students in the state
Jessica Benham (she/her), Pennsylvania House of Representatives (District 36)
Representative Jessica Benham is a Democrat running for a third term in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Prior to her election, Benham was the Director of Development for the Pittsburgh Center for Autistic Advocacy (PCAA) and is a vocal advocate for Autistic rights.
Deb Butler (she/her), North Carolina House of Representatives (District 18)
Representative Deb Butler is a Democrat running for a fourth term in the North Carolina House of Representatives. Butler is focused on healthcare access, protecting public education, and pushing back against anti-LGBTQ bills.
Park Cannon (she/her), Georgia House of Representatives (District 58)
Representative Park Cannon is a Democrat running for a fifth term in the Georgia House of Representatives. Cannon was first elected to the State House in 2016 at the age of 26. Cannon is an LGBTQ rights and reproductive rights advocate and has testified against multiple anti-trans bills in the legislature.
Sabrina Cervantes (she/her), California State Senate (District 31)
Assemblymember Sabrina Cervantes is a Democrat running for an open seat in the California State Senate. She is the first Democrat, woman of color and LGBTQ woman to hold her Assembly seat and her district covers just over half of the State Senate district.
Allison Dahle (she/her), North Carolina House of Representatives (District 11)
Representative Allison Dahle is a Democrat running for a fourth term in the North Carolina House of Representatives. A native of Raleigh, Dahle has worked in disability advocacy throughout her career.
Karla Drenner (she/her), Georgia House of Representatives (District 85)
First elected in 2000, Representative Karla Drenner is a Democrat running for re-election to the Georgia House of Representatives. Drenner has a Ph.D. in Public Policy Analysis and Administration and serves on the Policy Committee for the National Foundation for Women Legislators.
Josey Garcia (she/her), Texas House of Representatives (District 124)
Representative Josey Garcia is a Democrat running for a second term in the Texas House of Representatives. Prior to running for office, she served in the army under Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and is the first woman active-duty veteran to ever serve in the State House.
Dacia Grayber (she/her), Oregon House of Representatives (District 28)
Representative Dacia Grayber is a Democrat running for a third term in the Oregon House of Representatives. She has been a firefighter for over two decades and is a strong advocate for worker justice, expanding access to reproductive and gender affirming healthcare, and other transformative policies that champion labor, social justice, and the environment.
Kim Jackson (she/her), Georgia State Senate (District 41)
Senator Kim Jackson is a Democrat running for a third term in the Georgia State Senate. Jackson is also a member of the clergy and prior to running for office played handball professionally on the U.S. National Team. Jackson is a vocal advocate for voting rights protections and mental health support.
Ann Johnson (she/her), Texas House of Representatives (District 134)
Representative Ann Johnson is a Democrat running for a third term in the Texas House of Representatives. Johnson was first elected to the State House in 2020, when she unseated a Republican incumbent with 52 percent of the vote. Johnson is a former Chief Human Trafficking Prosecutor, current teacher, and small business owner who works as an attorney for victims of sexual exploitation and those who cannot afford a lawyer.
Erin Zwiener (she/her), Texas House of Representatives (District 45)
Representative Erin Zwiener is a Democrat running for a fourth term in the Texas House of Representatives. Zwiener is an author, educator, and conservationist who was first elected to the State House in 2018, unseating a Republican incumbent with 51 percent of the vote.
Precious Brady-Davis (she/her), Chicago Metro Water Reclamation District Board, IL
Commissioner Precious Brady-Davis is a Democrat running to retain a seat on the Chicago Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Board of Commissioners, which she was appointed to in July by Governor J.B. Pritzker. Brady-Davis is the first openly Black trans woman appointed to public office in Cook County history and the first to serve on a water reclamation district in the U.S.
Jennifer Esteen (she/her), Alameda County Board of Supervisors, CA (District 4)
Jennifer Esteen is running for the Alameda County Board of Supervisors in California. Esteen is a psychiatric and public health nurse who has worked for the San Francisco Department of Health for 14 years. Esteen is focused on housing, accessible healthcare and community-based care, and jobs.
Deirdre Hisler (she/her), Presidio County Commission, TX (Precinct 1)
Deirdre Hisler is a Democrat running for Presidio County Commission in Texas. Hisler worked in parks and wildlife for 28 years. She moved to Marfa in 2014 to become the West Texas Program Director of the Texas Chapter of The Nature Conservancy before officially retiring in 2019.
Lupe Valdez (she/her), Dallas County Sheriff, TX
Lupe Valdez is a Democrat running for Dallas County Sheriff in Texas, an office that she held from 2005 to 2017, before running for Governor in 2018, losing to Greg Abbott with 42 percent of the vote. During her tenure as Sheriff, Valdez addressed understaffing, overpopulation, and unsanitary conditions in the county jail and improved care for mentally ill inmates.
Top row Emily Randall, Imani Barnes, Jessica Benham, Deb Butler, Park Cannon, Sabrina Cervantes
Second row: Allison Dahle, Karla Drenner, Jocey Garcia, Dacia Grayber, Kim Jackson, Ann Johnson
Third row: Erin Zwiener, Precious Brady-Davis, Jennifer Esteen, Deirdre Hisler, Lupe Valdez