More Than 3 Dozen LGBTQ Parents Running for Office in 2018

The number of LGBTQ candidates running for elected office this year is higher than ever, and it’s no surprise that many of them are parents. Let’s meet them and their families!

[Updated, 6:55 p.m., 8/18/2018, with a few more names.] Below is a list of more than two dozen LGBTQ parents currently seeking office across the country, from school boards and city councils to governorships and congressional seats. Let me stress that I didn’t compile this because I think parents necessarily make better candidates or elected officials. I do think that being a parent can give a person useful perspectives on certain issues related to children, and I feel it’s important that some of our elected officials be parents, but it should never be a requirement. There are also plenty of non-parents running for office who have backgrounds as teachers or youth workers who bring similar perspectives. With regard to female candidates in particular, I never want to give the impression that being a mother somehow makes being a candidate more palatable, as in, “If she has to do something nontraditional for a woman, at least she’s also doing the main thing that women are supposed to do—raise a child.” Nope, that doesn’t cut it. No one should feel pressured to become a parent just to satisfy society’s expectations.

At the same time, I think these candidates offer us useful examples of how a person can balance both family and service. They may even encourage other LGBTQ parents to seek office. High-profile LGBTQ parents may also help more people to see LGBTQ parents as part of the fabric of our nation. Additionally, several of them have been motivated into public service after fighting for their families, and I simply find their stories compelling and worthy of sharing.

These are not endorsements; I don’t know any of the candidates or their local issues well enough (beyond those in my home state)—and even LGBTQ parent candidates may have their flaws. I encourage you all to visit the websites and follow the campaigns of the candidates in your locales. Additionally, check out the Victory Fund and LPAC for information on a wider range of LGBTQ candidates (and in the case of LPAC, also allies), both parents and not. (Side note: As happens, both organizations are run by queer parents: former Houston Mayor Annise Parker and former business executive Stephanie Sandberg, respectively.)

(I have to nitpick the Victory Fund’s note on Angie Craig, though, which says, “She will be the first LGBTQ mother in Congress.” Even if she wins, she’s not the only one running, and so could also share that title with Lauren Baer, about whom the Victory Fund says, “She would be one of the first openly LGBTQ mothers elected to Congress.” And Lorie Burch and Jamie McLeod-Skinner, though not endorsed by the Victory Fund, are a mom and step-mom respectively also running for Congress. “One of the first” seems to be the better phrasing.)

Please leave a comment if I’ve missed anyone, especially in local races.

Nickie Antonio: Currently a member of the Ohio House of Representatives, she is running for the Ohio State Senate, District 23. Her website says, “Daughters Ariel and Stacey, both Lakewood High School graduates, have made Nickie and Jean Kosmac, partner/spouse of more than 23 years, very proud.”

Lauren Baer: An attorney and foreign policy expert who is currently a consultant for Albright Stonebridge Group, the global strategy firm founded by former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, she is running for the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida’s 18th District. Her website says, “She and her wife Emily are active athletes who enjoy tennis, distance running, and spending time outdoors with their young daughter, Serena, and their dog, Biscuit.”

Shannon Baldwin: A Texas attorney, she is running to be elected as Judge, Harris County Criminal Court at Law, No. 4. The Victory Fund tells us, “Shannon is married to her wife, Anita Williams and they have a 6 month old foster daughter.”

Liz Barrett: Barrett has a law degree but works in marketing and strategic communications, including a previous role as director of Communication and Regulatory Policy at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. She is running for a second term on Maryland’s Frederick County Board of Education. Her website says, “She and her wife, Caroline, live in Frederick County, and her two sons attend Frederick County public schools.”

Kate Brown: Brown is running for a second term as governor of Oregon. Brown, who is bisexual, is the first openly LGBTQ governor of any identity. Her website says, “Kate lives in Salem with her husband Dan, and together, they raised Dan’s son and daughter who are now grown and living in Oregon.”

Lisa Bunker: Bunker, one of few transgender candidates, is running for the New Hampshire House of Representatives from Exeter, after a 30-year career in non-commercial radio broadcasting. Her website notes that she has two grown children.

Lorie Burch: An attorney, Burch is running for the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas’ 3rd District. Her website notes, “In the summer of 2017, Lorie officially became a wife and mother to two adorable girls. They make their home in Plano where the kids proudly attend public school. Lorie and Kimberly live nearby their mothers, Lorie’s in McKinney and Kimberly’s in Plano, and make family and faith their number one priority.”

Jennifer Campbell: A family physician and professor, she is running for San Diego City Council, District 2. Her website says, ” In her first year [of medical school, she became a single mother, but carried on with her education, raised her children, earned her medical degree, and completed her residency in the specialty of Family Medicine.” The Victory Fund adds that she is now the grandmother of nine.

Alexandra Chandler: This former Naval intelligence officer—one of the first in the U.S. intelligence community to transition on the job—is running for the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts’ 3rd District. Her website says, “Three generations of Alexandra’s family — her parents, her wife Cathy and their two sons—live together in Haverhill.”

Angie Craig: Formerly head of Global Human Resources for a major state manufacturer, Craig is now running for the U.S. House of Representatives from Minnesota’s 2nd District. Her website says, “Today, I’m a mom to four amazing young men—three in college and one in high school…. I’m proud of my family. My wife Cheryl and I have four boys. I’ve been a soccer mom, a baseball mom, a football mom, a band mom, and more. I’ve also been a working mother and had to fight to be a mother.” An entire page of her website is dedicated to an article explaining her and her then-partner Debra Langston’s struggle to adopt in 1997, when they were living in Tennessee. Same-sex couples could not adopt jointly at the time, so only one of them could be the legal parent. Additionally, although the birth mother of the child they hoped to adopt wanted them to do so, the birth mother’s own parents tried to claim custody instead. A court battle ensued, which Craig and Langston ultimately won. I encourage you to go read this story even if you’re not living in Minnesota—it’s a reminder of how far we’ve come in two decades, and the battle scars so many of us still bear.

Kathy Gillespie: A retired newspaper editor and reporter, Gillespie is seeking a seat on the Washington House of Representatives. The Victory Fund notes, “Kathy and her wife Debbie have been married for 27 years and have two children in college.”

Sunday Gover: Gover’s website bio starts right off with, “Sunday Gover is a lifelong San Diegan, public school mom and a successful small business owner.” She’s running for the California Assembly, District 77. Her website adds, “She lives in Scripps Ranch with her partner Kim, their four children and their dog, Lily.”

Christine Hallquist: Formerly CEO of Vermont Electric Coop and a consultant, Hallquist is running to be governor of Vermont and if elected, would become the country’s first openly transgender governor. Her website says, “Christine has three wonderful children and two grandchildren.” Her son Derek, a filmmaker, with her permission made the film Denial to document her transition and its impact on both her family and her struggle to address climate change.

Rebecca Howard: A teacher and business owner, Howard is running for the Ohio House of Representatives, District 53. On her website, she says, “My wife and I have been together since 1990, and we were finally able to get married in 2015 for our 25th anniversary…. Together, we are the proud parents of a strong, smart, and amazing daughter, who will graduate from college this year.”

Dan Innis: A businessperson and Professor of Marketing and Hospitality Management at the University of New Hampshire, Innis is seeking a second term in the New Hampshire State Senate, District 24. His website says, “Dan also co-founded the Ale House Inn and the Hotel Portsmouth with his husband Doug Palardy. He resides in New Castle and has three children, two of whom are UNH graduates.”

Kim Coco Iwamoto: Formerly elected to the Hawaii State Board of Education, Iwamoto was thus the “highest ranking, openly-transgender elected official in the U.S.,” according to the Victory Fund. In 2012, she was appointed by the governor, with senate confirmation, to the Hawaii Civil Rights Commission, and is now hoping to become lieutenant governor of Hawaii. She first ran for office out of a desire to become an advocate for foster children. She had volunteered to help homeless LGBTQ youth in New York, and became a licensed therapeutic foster parent after returning to Hawaii. She writes at her website, “I provided a home, love, and support for foster kids. I attended IEP meetings, parent-teacher meetings, and extracurricular activities. I learned that my kids and many others needed an advocate in the education system. I attended some BOE meetings and got involved in the local public schools to support my children. It didn’t take long for me to realize that the HawaiÊ»i Board of Education needed some fresh perspective, innovative leadership, and someone to act as a voice for the children.”

Laurie Jinkins: An attorney and interim director, deputy director and director of organizational development at the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, Jinkins is seeking another term in the Washington House of Representatives, District 27a. Her website says, “Jinkins lives in Tacoma with her wife, Laura Wulf, and their 16-year-old son.”

Julie Johnson: An attorney, Johnson is running for a seat in the Texas House of Representatives, District 115. Her website says, “A mother to two teenagers, Julie is married to Dr. Susan Moster, a respected North Texas gastroenterologist. Keeping up with the needs of two young men is her favorite challenge.”

Christine Kilduff: An attorney and former state Assistant Attorney General , Killduff is seeking reelection to the Washington House of Representatives, District 28. Her website says, “Chris and her spouse and partner of 28 years, Colleen, have two daughters, Amelia and Julia, who attend the University Place schools.”

Rebecca Kislak: An attorney and consultant, Kislak is running for the Rhode Island State House of Representatives from District 4. Her website notes, “Rebecca is married to Dr. Joanna Brown and they have two children, Ezra (12) and Simon (9).”

Joe Lannan: Owner (with his partner ) of a consulting firm focused on grant-seeking and training for local schools, Lannan is running for the Indiana House of Representatives, District 63. His website tells us, “Joe and his partner live in Loogootee on his family’s farm. They participate in foster-parenting, caring for children impacted by the drug epidemic.”

Kevin Lembo: Lembo began his career in public health advocacy, working in communities of need during the early years of the AIDS pandemic, and was appointed Connecticut’s first state Healthcare Advocate before being elected to two terms as Connecticut state comptroller. He is now seeking a third term. His website says, “Kevin now lives in Guilford with Charles, and their son Jordan, who is a freshman at Southern Connecticut State University,” but the Victory Fund fills in some details, noting, “In building their own family, Kevin and his spouse, Charles Frey, were denied the ability to adopt two children after a New York judge deemed their family unsuitable due to their marital status and sexual orientation. They successfully appealed the matter all the way to the New York State Supreme Court. They later adopted a third child.”

Jack Lewis: An ordained Unitarian minister, Lewis also helped create OUT MetroWest, a program for LGBTQ youth, in 2011. He now serves in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, 7th District, and is seeking reelection. The About page of his website leads with, “Jack Patrick Lewis is a committed father, husband, non-profit leader, and ordained minister.” It later adds, “Jack and his spouse adopted their son though DCF [Department of Children and Families] foster care in 2014. Their son currently attends a two-way language program (Spanish & English) at an area public school.” [Full disclosure: OUT MetroWest contracted with me to revamp their website in 2016, while Lewis was executive director.]

Sean Patrick Maloney: Formerly a senior advisor in President Bill Clinton’s White House, a businessman, and advisor to two New York governors, Maloney currently represents New York’s 18th district in the U.S. House of Representatives, and is seeking reelection. His website’s Meet Sean page leads with a photo of his family and says, “Sean and his husband, Randy Florke, have three children and currently reside in Cold Spring, NY on their family farm complete with ducks, horses, dogs, sheep, and a goat.”

Jamie McLeod-Skinner: Skinner first served in elected office in 2004 on the Santa Clara City Council. She then moved to Oregon, got a law degree focusing on natural resource and water law, and has worked for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, on Klamath water rights, and as a city manager. She’s now running for the U.S. House of Representatives from Oregon’s 2nd District. Her website says, “Married and a step-mom to four kids, Jamie and her wife have family throughout southern, central, and eastern Oregon.”

Melinda Miller: Miller has been a waitress, a line cook, a chef, a retail clerk, a manager, a massage therapist, and an instructor, her website says, and “Currently, Melinda helps her husband, Tim, in his small web services business. Melinda is a mom, a homemaker, a school volunteer, a community organizer and, now, a candidate for the Ohio State Senate.”

Rick Neal: A former Peace Corp volunteer, humanitarian advocate, and stay-at-home dad, Neal is running for the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio’s 15th District. His website’s About page is headed by a photo of Neal, his husband, and their daughters, and says, “After getting married in 2007, we adopted two beautiful girls, and I became a stay-at-home dad. Because our marriage wasn’t recognized by the government, we joined the fight for civil rights and marriage equality. It felt great to win that fight and know our family was protected by the law just like other married couples.”

Dana Nessel: An attorney, Nessel is running to become the Michigan attorney general. Among other things, her website tells us, “In 2012, she spearheaded the precedent-setting case, DeBoer v. Snyder, which challenged the bans on adoption and marriage for same-sex couples in Michigan. DeBoer was later consolidated with its affiliated U.S. Sixth Circuit cases into Obergefell v. Hodges in the United States Supreme Court.” Additionally, “Dana lives in southeast Michigan with her wife, Alanna Maguire, their twin sons, Alex and Zach, along with various cats.”

Cynthia Nixon: The former Sex and the City actor is now running for governor of New York. Her website notes, “Her three children, Sam, Charlie and Max, are all New York City public school students or graduates…. Cynthia is married to longtime education organizer Christine Marinoni, who until recently worked at the New York City Department of Education.”

Todd Novak: The only Republican on this list, Novak is running for reelection to the Wisconsin State Assembly. His website says, “Todd is also the father of two teenage boys whom he adopted out of the foster care system as teenagers.”

Jamie Pedersen:  The vice president and general counsel for McKinstry, a Seattle-based construction and engineering firm that specializes in green building, Pedersen is seeking reelection to the Washington State Senate, after also serving four terms in the House. He says on his website, “My husband is Eric Pedersen, who worked in public education for 17 years and is now at home taking care of our four sons, Trygve, Leif, Erik, and Anders.”

Jared Polis: Entrepreneur Polis currently serves in the U.S. House of Representatives for the 2nd District of Colorado, where in 2011, he became the first openly LGBTQ parent in Congress. He is now seeking to become governor of Colorado, and says on his website, “My partner Marlon and I are raising our two kids, ages six and four, to be proud Coloradans like their parents and grandparents!” He also notes that he’s a Colorado Rockies fan and “I wanted to name our son Helton [after Todd Helton, their former star first base player], but Marlon said no.”

Martin Rawlings-Fein: Rawlings-Fein is running for the San Francisco School Board. His website says, “I am a proud LGBT (bi+ and trans) parent with deep ties to the public school system…. I have considered running for the San Francisco school board since my daughter began kindergarten, it was then I realized that the system was a shambles…. My wife and I called it the parent hazing.”

Adam Rogers: Rogers, a researcher at the University of Southern California, is running for a seat on the La Habra City School Board. His website says, “​My name is Adam Rogers and I am the proud parent of two La Habra City School District students and the proud husband of a public school teacher…. I volunteer on both School Site Council and the District Parent Advisory Committee, while my husband is Treasurer of our school’s PTA.” [Full disclosure: I know Adam somewhat from when he and I both wrote for Change.org back in 2010.] UPDATE: 2:00 p.m. ET, 8/16/2018: Rogers just posted on his campaign’s Facebook page “The filing deadline has passed and we have an uncontested race”—which means he’s won the seat.

Debra Shore: A local conservation leader, Shore is running to be commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago. Her website says, “Debra lives with her partner, Kathleen Gillespie, in Skokie, and has a 34 year—old son, Ben Smith, who is an architect in Seattle.”

Danielle Skidmore: Skidmore’s personal experience as a parent has directly impacted her goals in seeking office on the Austin City Council. On her website, she explains, “Our son was born in 2001. He’s in a wheelchair, and by 2008, we had outgrown the stairs. We looked all over West Austin for a place that would suit our needs—not necessarily bigger, just a place all on one level. It quickly became clear that a place like that basically did not exist in our neighborhood. So, we moved downtown into a condominium…. My own family story highlights the very real problem with housing accessibility that exists throughout the city. I began advocating for others back in 2005, when my partner and I worked alongside the March of Dimes to help extend newborn screening for Texas children, based on an experience that rocked our family.” Additionally, Skidmore, a transgender woman, worked to defeat Lt. Governor Dan Patrick’s “Bathroom Bill”, which led to her appointment on Austin’s LGBTQ Quality of Life Commission, “and kicked off my desire to run for higher office.”

Jackie Smith: A small business owner and community organizer, Smith is running for California Assembly, District 6. An article on her this past January in the Roseville and Granite Bay Press Tribune says, “Smith would also like to expand community college to feature more vocational programs, noting that her 38-year-old son from a previous marriage works as a welder.” Her website notes: “In 2008, I married my partner and we moved to Rocklin after a long business career in the Silicon Valley.”

Felicity Stewart: A business executive, Stewart is seeking a seat in the Alabama House of Representatives, District 46. Her website says, “Felicia and her wife, Christy, recently celebrated their 16-year anniversary. They have energetic twin daughters, Helen and Harper, who attend Mountain Brook Elementary. They are also in the Daisy patrol of Girl Scout Troop 350, which their moms help lead.”

Lenette Thompson: A San Francisco fire lieutenant and PTA president, Thompson is running for the San Francisco School Board. Her website notes, “After attending Lakeshore Elementary, Aptos Middle School and George Washington High she is continuing the local legacy by raising her four children in the city – a fourth generation of native San Franciscans.”

Claire Wilson: Currently Federal Way School Board President, Wilson is seeking election to the Washington State Senate. Her website says, “Claire proudly identifies as a lesbian woman and mother. She has a daughter that is a senior in high school, and a son attending Western Washington University.”

Finally, although he’s not an LGBTQ parent, he has two of them: Zach Wahls, whose video about marriage equality and his two moms went viral in 2011—twice!—is running for the Iowa State Senate. If elected, he’d be the first state or federal official I know of with openly queer parents.

Regardless of whether you’re voting for these candidates, are you registered to vote? If not, go do so!

(Here are the queer parent candidates who won in 2017.)