New Political PAC Launches To Take Down Anti-LGBTQ Candidates

Topline

A new political group, called Agenda PAC, will aim to take down anti-LGBTQ candidates in upcoming midterm races, according to the political strategists and Democratic lawmakers behind the organization, who say they were spurred by Roe v. Wade being overturned and a concurring opinion from Justice Clarence Thomas that urged the court to revisit same-sex marriage.

Demonstrators in favor of LGBTQ rights rally outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, DC.

AFP via Getty Images

Key Facts

In a video Wednesday, Agenda PAC said it planned to “fight back and stop” those attempting to take away “our basic freedoms to love and choose” and would aim to “make the difference” in tough upcoming races.

The group was launched by Ted Bordelon, a political communications strategist who will serve as executive director, according to multiple outlets, while Malcom Kenyatta, the first out gay state representative in Pennsylvania will serve as chair of the group, with several other political strategists and LGBTQ politicians involved.

Thomas’ concurring opinion and Roe v. Wade being overturned “put a target squarely on the back of the LGBTQ community,” Kenyatta told Politico.

The new PAC first plans to target Doug Mastriano, a Pennsylvania Republican gubernatorial nominee who has said he is against same-sex marriage, supported legislation for adoption services to discriminate against same-sex couples and has attacked an executive order from Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf protecting LGBTQ youth from conversion therapy.

The group has a longer list of Republican House candidates it plans to take on, according to Politico, and will launch intensive ad campaigns against anti-LGBTQ candidates, NBC News reported.

Crucial Quote

“We are going after the beatable bigots,” Kenyatta told NBC News. “Sometimes those beatable bigots are running against incredible LGBTQ candidates. And sometimes they’re running against folks who are allies to our community.”

Big Number

Somewhere in the “six figures.” That’s how much the group has raised, including pledges, Kenyatta told Politico. The PAC plans to spend somewhere in the seven figures during the midterms, Kenyatta said.

Key Background

Other political groups supporting LGBTQ candidates in recent years have primarily aimed to help LGBTQ political candidates win elections, including Victory Fund, as opposed to defeating anti-LGBTQ politicians. The launch of Agenda PAC follows efforts from Republican legislatures across the country to enact anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ legislation, including Floridas’ “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which prohibits teachers from discussing sexual orientation or gender identity through the third grade, as well as legislation banning trans youth from participating in sports, as several states have adopted. A host of Republican midterm candidates have made attacks against transgender rights central to their platform. Legal experts have also warned same-sex marriage rights could be targeted after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, while President Joe Biden has also sounded alarms. The House in July passed the Respect for Marriage Act, a bill that would codify some protections for same-sex and interracial marriage in federal law, with the bill potentially going to the Senate this month.

Contra

A record-breaking number of LGBTQ candidates are running for office this year, according to Victory Fund. At least 1,008 LGBTQ people are running for office at all levels in 2022, with an increase in LGBTQ candidates of color and transgender and gender non-confirming candidates, the group told CNN in July.

Tangent

The launch of the new PAC comes after an uptick in LGBTQ harassment in recent months connected to pride events, including the arrest of 31 members of the white nationalist organization Patriot Front near a pride event in Idaho who authorities allege were planning to riot. False conspiracy theories from right-wing activists about gender-affirming care for trans youth have also been shared thousands of times on social media in recent weeks, leading to harassment at hospitals providing gender-affirming care and followed by a false bomb threat at Boston Children’s Hospital this week.