Photo: Barack Obama. Credit: Christopher Dilts/Obama for America.
Former President Barack Obama has thrown his support behind an additional 17 openly LGBTQ candidates for various federal and state offices, bringing the total of LGBTQ endorsements he’s made to 22.
Obama, who has hit the campaign trail in a limited capacity for some Democratic candidates, sees gaining control of Congress as essential to reversing some of the harmful policies advanced by the Trump administration during their first two years in office.
The former president is often deployed as a surrogate for Democratic candidates in strongly Democratic areas of states or swing districts in order to help turn out base voters who will be essential to successfully taking back control of either chamber of Congress.
He previously endorsed several candidates, including five who identify as LGBTQ: U.S. Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.), California congressional candidate Katie Hill, and three state legislative candidates.
In his second round of endorsements, Obama threw his support behind incumbent U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and U.S. Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), who is seeking outgoing Sen. Jeff Flake’s Senate seat. Some of his more prominent endorsements include incumbent Gov. Kate Brown (D-Ore.), gubernatorial nominee Christine Hallquist of Vermont, and congressional candidates Lauren Baer of Florida, Angie Craig of Minnesota, Sharice Davids of Kansas, Gina Ortiz Jones of Texas, and Chris Pappas of New Hampshire.
All 22 of Obama’s LGBTQ endorsements have previously been backed by the LGBTQ Victory Fund.
“President Obama is endorsing candidates who are passionate about public service and committed to making a positive difference in people’s lives, so it is unsurprising so many of our LGBTQ candidates are on the list,” Annise Parker, the former mayor of Houston and president and CEO of the Victory Fund, said in a statement.
“The experiences and struggles of LGBTQ leaders make them authentic, values-driven candidates who understand the pain and difficulties so many are facing right now,” Parker said. “We are part of every community and every constituency — women, people of color, immigrants and religious minorities — and that diversity strengthens and refines our perspectives. LGBTQ people are running for office in historic numbers not just because our community needs us, but because America needs us.”
In total, there are 224 LGBTQ candidates who will appear on the general election ballot this November, out of more than 430 who ran this cycle.
Most are running as Democrats, who have been inspired to run, in part, by their desire to curb some of the worst excesses of Donald Trump’s presidency.
The LGBTQ Victory Fund has endorsed 272 candidates this cycle, in hopes of generating a so-called “Rainbow Wave” that would ensure the LGBTQ community has a voice at the table when major policy decisions are being made that could impact their lives, livelihood, or well-being.
A masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer fatally shot a queer woman in Minneapolis after opening fire through the window of her SUV during a confrontation in the street.
Video footage posted online shows two masked ICE officers approaching a Honda Pilot stopped in the middle of Portland Avenue near 34th Street in Minneapolis' Powderhorn neighborhood. One agent can be heard yelling at the SUV's driver -- later identified as 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good -- telling her to "get out of the fucking car" while attempting to open the driver's door, as a second officer stands back.
Erik Bottcher has received an endorsement from Equality PAC, the political action arm of the Congressional Equality Caucus, as he runs to succeed longtime Democratic U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler, who plans to retire at the end of next year.
The openly gay Democrat, who represents Chelsea and won re-election to the New York City Council in last month’s municipal elections, is running for Manhattan’s 12th Congressional District, which Nadler has represented -- through multiple redistricting cycles -- since 1992.
Shortly after filing paperwork in October, Bottcher shattered a state record for the most money raised within 24 hours, pulling in $683,241.
The Trump administration has proposed two federal rules that would restrict access to gender-affirming care for transgender minors nationwide.
The proposed regulations, issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), would bar federal Medicaid funds from covering transition-related care for transgender youth under 19 and threaten to strip federal funding from hospitals that provide gender-affirming treatments to minors.
HHS officials told NBC News that CMS will begin the federal rule-making process with a 60-day public comment period, after which the rules could be finalized.
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