Lesbian Latina Elected to San Antonio City Council

San Antonio City Councilmember Elena Guajardo

Winning her runoff election with 55 percent of the vote, Elena Guajardo became the first out LGBTQ+ member of the San Antonio City Council and one of the first Latina lesbian officials anywhere in the country. Guajardo’s campaign marked the first time Victory Fund employed an “independent expenditure,” which allows organizations to spend funds on behalf of a candidate without coordinating with them. In total, Victory Fund’s New Voices/Nuevas Voces PAC spent $22,000 on bilingual voter education efforts that raised Guajardo’s profile and gave her an edge in the race.

A San Antonio-native, business leader and social worker, Guajardo received the “Elected Official of the Year” Award from the Texas chapter of the National Association of Social Workers. She served one term.

Nebraska Elects First LGBTQ+ Official

Barbara Baier

In 2005, Barbara Baier beat her opponent 56 percent to 44 percent for a seat on the Lincoln School Board, becoming the first out LGBTQ+ person elected in Nebraska. During the campaign, Baier had to overcome questions about her sexual orientation on the radio, in the newspaper and on television -- yet she stayed on message. As of 2021, she continued to serve on the school board.

Victory Institute and INLGO Merge

LGBTQ+ elected officials at an early International Network of Lesbian and Gay Officials event.

Founded in 1985, the International Network of Lesbian and Gay Officials (INLGO), existed to serve as a resource and a formal network of the dozens of out officials elected worldwide. The group’s annual conference was perennially the largest gathering of such officials, and the gathering still takes place each year as LGBTQ+ Victory Institute’s International LGBTQ+ Leadership Conference, which boasts hundreds of attendees from dozens of countries. In 2005, INLGO and LGBTQ+ Victory Institute formally merged following a joint 2004 conference.

LGBTQ+ Victory Fund Endorsed Candidates in 2005

LGBTQ+ Victory Fund endorsed 58 candidates in 2005.

Wins:

Nickie Antonio (D), Lakewood City Council, Ohio

Barb Baier (D), Lincoln School Board, Nebraska

Carol Becker (D), Minneapolis Board of Estimates and Taxation, Minnesota

Anne Fauver (D), Atlanta City Council, Georgia

Ginny Foat (D), Palm Springs City Council, California

Elena Guajardo (D), San Antonio City Council, Texas

Kathy Luz Herrera (D), Tompkins County Legislator, New York

Susan Hopkins (Green), Portland School Board, Maine

Mary Jo Hudson (D), Columbus City Council, Ohio

Sue Lovell (D), Houston City Council, Texas

Rosie Mendez (D), New York City Council, New York

Annise Parker (D), Houston Controller, Texas

Gwen Wilkinson (D), Tompkins County District Attorney, New York

Scott Benson (D), Minneapolis City Council, Minnesota

Jose Cisneros (D), San Francisco City Treasurer, California

Adam Ebbin (D), General Assembly, Virginia

Jay Fisette (D), Arlington County Board, Virginia

Jim Gaughan (D), Altamont Mayor, New York

Mike Gin (R), Redondo Beach Mayor, California

Alan Hooker (D), Minneapolis Library Board, Minnesota

Mark Kleinschmidt (D), Chapel Hill City Council, North Carolina

Rod Krueger (D), Minneapolis Library Board, Minnesota

Joe Lacey (D), Dayton School Board, Ohio

Kevin Lee (D), Lansdowne Borough Council, Pennsylvania

Robert Lilligren (D), Minneapolis City Council, Minnesota

Dan Miller (D), Harrisburg City Council, Pennsylvania

Ron Mueller (D), Pacific City Council, Missouri

Jeffrey Prang (D), West Hollywood City Council, California

Bill Rosendahl (D), Los Angeles City Council, California

Dan Ryan (D), Portland School Board, Maine

Joe Santiago (D), Cleveland City Council, Ohio

Gary Schiff (D), Minneapolis City Council, Minnesota

Shane Seger (D), Ithaca City Council, New York

Tom Simplot (D), Phoenix City Council, Arizona

Chris Swope (I), Lansing City Clerk, Michigan

Losses:

Virginia Holte (D), Minneapolis Library Board, Minnesota

Margarita Lopez (D), Manhattan Borough President, New York

Candy Marcum (D), Dallas City Council, Texas

Tiffany Muller (D), Topeka City Council, Kansas

Vivian Paige (D), Norfolk City Treasurer, Virginia

Loretta Redd (D), Santa Barbara City Council, California

Kathleen Womack (I), Sandy Springs City Council, Georgia

Brian Bates (L), Doraville City Council, Georgia

Chris Edwards (D), Napa City Council, California

Phil Gille (R), Yonkers City Council, New York

Stephen Lamphear (I), Burien City Council, Washington

Eric Mah (D), Manhattan Beach City Council, California

Tim Mains (D), Rochester Mayor, New York

Marty Martinez (D), Somerville City Council, Massachusetts

Thomas Meinecke (D), Toledo City Council, Ohio

Patrick Murphy (R), New York City City Council, New York

William Schmidt (R), Peekskill City Council, New York

Tim Schofield (D), State House, Massachusetts

Dave Schulz (R), Toledo City Council, Ohio

Ed Stanley (D), Port of Olympia Commissioner, Washington

Jass Stewart (D), Brockton Mayor, Massachusetts

John Williams (D), Palm Springs City Council, California

Withdrawals:

Joseph Amodeo (D), Ulster County Legislator, New York

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