❓WHAT HAPPENED: The head of the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund urged Democrats to focus on kitchen-table issues rather than identity politics in the upcoming election cycle.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Evan Low, Jared Polis, Sarah McBride, Aime Wichtendahl, and the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund
📍WHEN & WHERE: June 24, 2025, San Francisco and national political scene
💬KEY QUOTE: “We want to talk about kitchen-table issues, not about identity.” – Evan Low
🎯IMPACT: LGBTQ+ candidates are winning even in red states by de-emphasizing identity and focusing on pragmatic issues like education, affordability, and governance.
Evan Low, CEO of the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, is pushing Democrats to focus less on cultural identity battles and more on the issues voters care about day-to-day—what he calls “kitchen-table issues.” He’s advising candidates to steer clear of hot-button topics like transgender participation in sports, which he says are not priorities for most Americans.
“This is not a top 1, top 5, top 10 or top 30 issue,” he said of transgender sports.
Low’s comments come as the Democratic Party wrestles with how to appeal to working-class voters post-2024, while President Trump continues using gender identity as a key wedge. Yet Low insists identity politics shouldn’t be front and center, even as LGBTQ+ individuals face regular targeting by Republican messaging. “We are running to serve the people, not to distract on issues that divide,” he stated.
According to the Victory Fund’s new “Out in America” report, shared in advance with POLITICO, 1,334 openly LGBTQ+ individuals now hold office—nearly triple the number from Trump’s first term. Most are Democrats, with less than three percent identifying as Republicans.
The trend has extended to top offices. Govs. Jared Polis, Maura Healey, and Tina Kotek have all secured governorships, while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent made history as the highest-ranking openly gay official in U.S. history under President Trump.
Polis, however, compared his sexuality to religion. “You answer any questions, and then you move on and talk about what you want to do,” he said. “It’s similar to how you deal with your faith. You’re not running just to represent that faith.”
Victory Fund leaders argue that being LGBTQ+ and simply running is a powerful act, but success lies in addressing universal concerns. Executive Director Elliot Imse said, “We are not going to win elections by pandering just to the nine percent of voters.”
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