Metro Weekly

HRC endorses Jacky Rosen in Nevada U.S. Senate race

Congresswoman with pro-equality record is challenging incumbent Sen. Dean Heller

Jacky Rosen – Photo: Frederick Schilling/U.S. House of Representatives.

The Human Rights Campaign has endorsed Democratic U.S. Rep. Jacky Rosen in her bid for the U.S. Senate against incumbent Republican Dean Heller.

In the House of Representatives, Rosen has found herself criticizing the Trump administration’s decision to revoke protections for transgender children in public schools and attempts by the U.S. Census Bureau to avoid counting LGBTQ same-sex couples or LGBTQ elderly in its various national surveys that are used to allocate funding for various federal programs.

Rosen is a co-sponsor of the Equality Act, which would prohibit anti-LGBTQ discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations domestically, and of the Global Respect Act, which would strengthen U.S. foreign policy by preventing individuals who have engaged in anti-LGBTQ discrimination, violence or torture from entering the United States. 

“Jacky Rosen has proven herself to be a stalwart supporter of equality who will fight tirelessly for everyday Nevadans,” HRC President Chad Griffin said in a statement. “With so much at stake for the LGBTQ community in this election, we are proud to endorse Jacky Rosen and look forward to working with her in the U.S. Senate to advance full federal equality.”

Over the summer, HRC launched HRC Rising, a campaign to elect pro-LGBTQ lawmakers and advance equality initiatives in several states, intended as a way to push back against what the organization sees as the erosion of civil rights at the federal level under the Trump administration.

As part of HRC Rising, the organization will be making investments in electing pro-equality, anti-Trump candidates, particularly for the U.S. House and U.S. Senate, in six states: Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, Arizona, and Nevada. The organization has also endorsed Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and U.S. Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), who is seeking the seat held by retiring Republican Sen. Jeff Flake.

In a statement, Rosen thanked HRC for its endorsement

“I have been a longtime supporter of the LGBTQ community in Southern Nevada because I believe in my heart that no one should ever face discrimination simply because of who they are or who they love,” Rosen said in a statement. “In Congress, I’m using my voice to speak out for expanding civil rights protections for LGBTQ people and standing up against President Trump’s unjust ban on transgender Americans serving in our military. As Nevada’s next Senator, I will continue to be an unwavering ally and advocate for full LGBTQ equality.”

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