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☆ Montana House Cancels Session Amid Standoff With Transgender Lawmaker
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Jim Robbins | Jacey Fortin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

This year, 11 states have passed laws prohibiting such care for young people. Few of those legislatures have had to debate those laws with a transgender lawmaker as a member. But she added that she is now serving her third term — and watching transgender candidates in other states win elections, too. Ms. Zephyr, 34, said she ran for office on a campaign platform of affordable housing, health care, human rights and climate justice. But it is her clash with Republican lawmakers over transgender issues that has rapidly raised her profile.

☆ Pras Michel: Former Fugees rapper testifies in his own trial
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Holmes Lybrand | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

According to Michel, Low had asked him in 2012 to set up a picture of Low and Obama. Michel told Low to give him $1 million and he would think about how to make that happen. “I thought that I could just give my friends” money to contribute to the campaign, Michel told the jury. A prosecutor told Michel during cross examination that funneling donations through other individuals is illegal. Prosecutor John Keller also asked Michel about funds to help Low find an attorney, which Michel contested was not illegal.

Bankman-Fried, FTX's founder, pleaded not guilty to eight criminal charges filed against him in December. Bankman-Fried now faces 12 criminal charges after prosecutors unsealed a new indictment against him last week. Singh is the third Bankman-Fried close associate to plead guilty and agree to cooperate with prosecutors. Caroline Ellison, who was Alameda's chief executive, and Gary Wang, who was FTX's chief technology officer, pleaded guilty in December to seven and four criminal charges, respectively. Singh was a close friend of Bankman-Fried's younger brother in high school, Bankman-Fried wrote in a deleted blog post.

Last year, the nation’s largest LGBTQ advocacy organization, the Human Rights Campaign, labeled 2021 the “worst year” for LGBTQ rights in modern U.S. history, citing a record number of anti-LGBTQ bills introduced in state legislatures across the country. “The LGBTQ+ community is really under siege right now,” said Ricardo Martinez, CEO of LGBTQ advocacy group Equality Texas. One bill that was successfully implemented, and gained national headlines for months, was Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law, or what critics have dubbed the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. The word “grooming” has long been associated with mischaracterizing LGBTQ people, particularly gay men and transgender women, as child sex abusers. Those losses came after some conservative groups ramped up misleading or inflammatory campaign ads targeting transgender rights.

☆ Asian American voters could help decide the Senate runoff in Georgia, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Sakshi Venkatraman | Sakshi Venkatraman Is A Reporter For Nbc Asian America. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

“We’re also meeting people at their doors.”When it came to appealing to South Asian voters in Georgia, Nabilah Islam said her “secret weapon” had been under her nose for years. During her recent campaign for state Senate, the 33-year-old Bangladeshi American brought conversations about issues to aunties and uncles on their home turf: WhatsApp. She's now the first South Asian ever elected to the Georgia state Senate. A bloc starting to gain more recognitionAccording to Karthick Ramakrishnan, co-director of AAPI Data, the concerted efforts to appeal to Asian voters in Georgia are reflected in nationwide politics. Steps like these prove grassroots efforts to appeal to AAPI voters work, Makhija said.

☆ These recently elected trans lawmakers say anti-LGBTQ bills inspired them to run
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Julie Moreau | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

Zooey Zephyr, the first out transgender woman elected to the Montana Legislature, was inspired to run after her state passed three pieces of legislation targeting the LGBTQ community. 'Real, tangible effects on trans people'State legislatures have increasingly become battlegrounds over LGBTQ rights. Republicans began introducing legislation targeting queer rights at an increased clip in the wake of the 2015 Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell vs. Hodges, which legalized same-sex marriage nationally. In 2017, Republicans introduced 129 bills targeting LGBTQ rights, many of which focused on issues of religious freedom. However, she believes bills targeting LGBTQ rights are ultimately a losing strategy.

☆ Asian American voters are flexing their political muscle in the Georgia Senate runoff
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-27 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Both the Warnock and Walker campaigns have courted this crucial bloc ahead of the Senate runoff. Ballots cast by Asian American voters rose dramatically from 2016 to 2020, from 73,000 votes to 134,000 votes, respectively, according to the Democratic polling data firm TargetSmart. Per CNN exit polling from the November general election, Warnock won Asian American voters by 20 points over Walker (59%-39%). Brian Kemp cultivated relationships with Asian American voters during his successful campaign. "We're the only demographic group that keeps going up," Georgia state Sen.-elect Nabilah Islam told Politico.

☆ In California, 10% of Legislature now identifies as LGBTQ
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

People by and large are totally fine with LGBTQ people, they support us, they are accepting and willing to vote for LGBTQ candidates,” California state Sen. Scott Wiener, a member of the LGBTQ Caucus, said Monday. Meanwhile, the Legislature has not yet reached parity in gender or in race and ethnicity, according to statistics from the California State Library. New Hampshire and Vermont have each had more LGBTQ legislators, according to the institute, but their legislatures are bigger than California’s and so have not reached the 10% threshold. Alaska and South Dakota elected their first out LGBTQ legislators, and Montana and Minnesota elected their first transgender legislators, according to the Human Rights Campaign. By contrast, “as California’s Legislative LGBTQ Caucus has grown, the state has led the nation in passing groundbreaking legislation protecting LGBTQ+ civil rights,” said Equality California spokesperson Samuel Garrett-Pate.

☆ Lesbians score big political gains in midterm election's 'rainbow wave'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Matt Lavietes | Matt Lavietes Is A Reporter For Nbc Out. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

The 2022 midterm elections ignited what LGBTQ advocates called yet another “rainbow wave,” with over 430 lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer candidates emerging victorious. Across the country in Oregon, fellow Democrat and lesbian Tina Kotek was in a much tighter three-way gubernatorial contest. Lesbians and other queer women were successful in down-ballot races as well, according to advocacy groups and political action committees that have been tracking these races. “These are people who have taken the normal political path and are ready for the big leap,” she said, referring to lesbian election winners. “Queer women, just like all other women, understand that we’re in a really fraught time here in America.”Follow NBC Out on Twitter, Facebook & Instagram.

☆ A record number of LGBTQ candidates claim victory in another 'rainbow wave'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Jo Yurcaba | Jo Yurcaba Is A Reporter For Nbc Out. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

A record number of LGBTQ candidates won their midterm races this year, creating what some advocates are calling yet another “rainbow wave.”Many races are still too close or too early to call, but as of Thursday afternoon, at least 400 out LGBTQ candidates had won their elections, according to the LGBTQ Victory Fund, which supports queer people running for office. “With so much at stake this election, from the future of marriage equality to abortion, LGBTQ candidates’ grit and exceptional grassroots support is paying off.”National firstsQueer candidates celebrated a number of notable victories and firsts across the country. Alaska is one of four states with zero out LGBTQ state lawmakers, according to the LGBTQ Victory Institute. Magni said the results prove that LGBTQ candidates can successfully compete in both blue and red states. “This is a powerful message, saying, ‘Hey, LGBTQ candidates can win elections and can win elections in many states and many districts across the country.’” he said.

☆ New Hampshire's James Roesener is first trans man elected to a state legislature
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Jo Yurcaba | Jo Yurcaba Is A Reporter For Nbc Out. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

James Roesener of New Hampshire is the first transgender man elected to a state legislature in the United States, according to the LGBTQ Victory Fund, which supports queer candidates running for office. Roesener, 25, lives in Concord with his wife and cat and “was born an advocate for the underdog,” according to his campaign website. “I believe that it is imperative that all individuals have the ability to thrive in New Hampshire,” it says. Prior to Tuesday’s elections, there were eight out trans people serving in state legislatures, but none of them are trans men, according to the LGBTQ Victory Institute, the research arm of the Victory Fund. Outside of state legislatures, there are six out trans men serving in elected office nationwide, according to the institute.

☆ Becca Balint wins Vermont House race, NBC News projects, and will be state's first woman and LGBTQ person in Congress
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Matt Lavietes | Matt Lavietes Is A Reporter For Nbc Out. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Democrat Becca Balint is the winner of Vermont’s at-large Congressional District race, NBC News projected. She is the first woman and the first LGBTQ person elected to Congress from the state. She added, "Tonight, after 231 years, Vermonters are sending a woman and openly gay person to Congress for the first time." Her victory ended Vermont's status as the only state never to have sent a woman to Congress. In 2020, she became the first woman and the first openly LGBTQ person to be president of the Vermont Senate.

☆ How Diverse Are the Candidates in the Midterm Elections?
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( Maggie Astor | Eleanor Lutz | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +11 min

The House of RepresentativesThere are at least 403 people of color, women or nonbinary candidates running for seats in the House of Representatives in Tuesday’s midterm elections. Incumbent Democrat Republican White men women Black men women Hispanic men women Other and multiple race men womenThere are 11 Senate candidates who are Black this year. Democrat Black candidates Republican Ga. Raphael Warnock Ala. Will Boyd Ark. Incumbent Democrat Republican White men women Black men women Other and multiple race men womenThere are 25 women nominated for governor — 16 Democrats and nine Republicans. Democrat Black candidates Republican Ala. Yolanda Flowers Ark.

☆ A Michigan judge tried to block an abortion rights measure. His ex-wife says he helped her get an abortion in college.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Jonathan-Allen-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Jonathan Allen | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +12 min

On May 18 that year, Jones said, Zahra drove her to the clinic and paid for her abortion. Michigan Supreme Court Justice Brian Zahra. Michigan CourtsAside from Zahra, Jones said she did not immediately tell anyone that she was pregnant in May 1983. The abortion-rights coalition sued to place it on the ballot, and the state Supreme Court ruled in favor of the coalition — ordering state officials to put the proposed amendment to voters on Nov. 8. She calculated her menstrual cycle and told Zahra she thought she might be pregnant.

☆ American billionaires spent a record $880 million on the U.S. midterm elections
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-03 | by ( Robert Frank | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

America's billionaires spent a record $880 million on the U.S. midterm elections so far, with most of their spending favoring Republicans, according to a new report. They have given a total of $3.5 million to a single-candidate super PAC in Wisconsin supporting GOP Sen. Ron Johnson. A relative newcomer to the billionaire political class is Sam Bankman-Fried, the 30-year-old crypto mogul. He donated $40 million this cycle, most of it to a super PAC he created called Protect Our Future. Hedge-fund billionaire Stephen Mandel of Lone Pine Capital has spent $17.7 million on Democratic groups, including the super PAC Future Forward.

☆ Pelosi likely has the largest security detail of any lawmaker in Congress. Here's what we know about her and her husband Paul's protection.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-28 | by ( Warren Rojas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Details about congressional security practices remain closely guarded after the January 6 attack. Keeping information about congressional security practices under wraps is apparently part of the Capitol Police's job, as critical details remain closely guarded. Similar media reports say that full-time congressional security details are limited to the speaker, House and Senate majority and minority leaders, and House and Senate whips. Last month she told The New York Times that she'd spent more than $120,000 on private security over the past year. Financial records filed by the Nancy Pelosi Victory Fund PAC show that the fundraising committee paid nearly $4,000 to private security firm Safehouse Security Solutions this spring.

☆ In a historic first, LGBTQ Americans will be on the ballot in all 50 states
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Matt Lavietes | Matt Lavietes Is A Reporter For Nbc Out. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

For the first time in the nation's history, Americans from all 50 states and the District of Columbia will have a chance to elect an LGBTQ person to public office. More than 340 anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced in state legislatures this year, according to the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBTQ advocacy group. The word “grooming” has long been associated with mischaracterizing LGBTQ people, particularly gay men and transgender women, as child sex abusers. "So, if you're voting against some LGBTQ rights, you're not voting against LGBTQ rights in abstract anymore, but you're voting to deny rights to someone who sits next to you every day at work." Within the record-breaking election year for LGBTQ candidates, dozens of them will also have the chance to make history on their own.

☆ These 10 LGBTQ candidates could make political history in November
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-23 | by ( Matt Lavietes | Matt Lavietes Is A Reporter For Nbc Out. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +11 min

More than 600 lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer candidates will be on the ballot Nov. 8 — up from the 432 candidates in the previous midterm elections in 2018 — according to the political action committee LGBTQ Victory Fund. But even as an LGBTQ political leader, Balint, who is a lesbian, has faced pushback for her sexuality. He previously told NBC News that his Republican political affiliation was a result of his family's affection for former President Ronald Reagan. Jennie ArmstrongRunning for: Alaska House of Representatives, District 16Andrew GrayRunning for: Alaska House of Representatives, District 20If elected would be the first: LGBTQ state lawmaker(s) in Alaskan history. Alaska is one of four states with zero out LGBTQ state lawmakers, according to the LGBTQ Victory Fund.

☆ Major gun safety group turns its attention to sheriff races with new ads
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Alex-Seitz-Wald-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Alex Seitz-Wald | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

WASHINGTON — The country’s largest gun safety group is turning its attention down ballot by pumping money into local sheriff races this election. Everytown for Gun Safety, the massive gun control group founded by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, told NBC News on Friday it's “leaving no stone unturned in the fight to end gun violence” and will spend $300,000 on digital ads in two sheriff races this year. County sheriffs, unlike most law enforcement officers, are directly elected by voters in most parts of the country. “Sheriffs are elected to enforce the law, not make them,” said John Feinblatt, head of Everytown for Gun Safety Victory Fund. The Bernalillo County race in New Mexico race falls along more familiar partisan lines.

☆ The U.S. has never had a lesbian governor. These two women could change that.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Matt Lavietes | Matt Lavietes Is A Reporter For Nbc Out. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +8 min

And in 2014 she broke barriers again, becoming the nation’s first out lesbian elected state attorney general. Nearly 3,000 miles west, Kotek became the country’s first out lesbian speaker of a state House of Representatives in 2013. This coming Election Day, these lesbian trailblazers could shatter glass ceilings once more, simultaneously becoming the first out lesbians ever elected governor in the United States. Kate Brown, who is bisexual and became the first openly LGBTQ person to be elected governor in 2015, and Colorado Gov. This past summer, some of those threats were pointedly directed at the LGBTQ community in Massachusetts’ state capital.

☆ Biden to host fundraiser with John Fetterman in Philadelphia as Senate race with Dr. Oz tightens
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-11 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

President Joe Biden will host a fundraiser with Pennsylvania Senate candidate John Fetterman in Philadelphia next week, a senior administration official told CNBC on Tuesday. But Oz, a celebrity doctor backed by former President Donald Trump, is still trailing Fetterman, according to polls of the pivotal Senate race. The election in the swing state, where Biden narrowly beat Trump in 2020, could decide which party controls the Senate. Oz's campaign, in a statement on news of the fundraiser, aimed to blame both Biden and Fetterman for high gas prices and crime. "The Biden-Fetterman agenda has given us higher prices at the pump and more-dangerous streets," said the statement from Oz campaign spokeswoman Brittany Yanick.

The Republican Jewish Coalition Victory Fund is out with two new ads in Pennsylvania's Senate race targeting Democratic nominee John Fetterman over a 2013 incident where he pulled a firearm on an unarmed Black jogger. "My message to Black voters: do your homework about John Fetterman," one woman says in the first ad. It's been brought up in other ads attacking Fetterman earlier this year, too. RJC is spending over $1.5 million on this ad campaign, a press release from the group said. "This is John Fetterman," the narrator says later, adding, "the guy who will cut taxes for working people, slash healthcare costs and fight for a woman’s right to choose.

☆ One in three Republicans say they don't want more LGBTQ people in Congress: poll
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( Hanna Kang | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A significant minority of Republicans believe more LGBTQ people in Congress would be a "bad thing," a new poll found. Among Republicans, men were more likely than women to oppose more LGBTQ representation in Congress. A record number of openly LGBTQ candidates are in the running for a seat in the next session of Congress. About one out of three Republicans said they thought more LGBTQ people represented in Congress was a "bad thing," according to the poll. "The share who say it's a bad thing, it's like a third of Republicans say it's a bad thing.

☆ In a political first, two gay candidates face off in congressional election
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Julie Moreau | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +10 min

A historic number of LGBTQ candidates will appear on ballots across the country in November. It is one of 16 competitive races in which LGBTQ candidates appear, and which may decide control of the U.S. House, according to the LGBTQ Victory Fund. 'It was going to happen sooner of later'The odds of a faceoff between two gay candidates have gone up in recent years, because there’s been an increase in LGBTQ candidates at all levels of government. Santos is the only openly LGBTQ Republican running for Congress this fall, according to the LGBTQ Victory Fund. “The issue is not that both of us are gay,” Zimmerman said.

☆ Sorry, Biden backers. President Donald Trump actually has more campaign cash now than 4 years ago
▼ + stars: | 2020-09-10 | by ( Dave Levinthal | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

President Trump's campaign ended July with $120 million, about three times more than the roughly $39 million it reported at this point in 2016. This doesn't cost Trump's campaign anything but helps get his message to voters. In addition to the Trump campaign, the Republican National Committee and several pro-Trump super PACs have planned heavy spending before Election Day. The Trump campaign ended July with more than $120 million, compared with about $99 million for Biden. Some areas of Trump campaign spending have even dropped from 2016 to 2020.

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