Photo: Barack Obama. Credit: Christopher Dilts/Obama for America.
Former President Barack Obama has thrown his support behind an additional 17 openly LGBTQ candidates for various federal and state offices, bringing the total of LGBTQ endorsements he’s made to 22.
Obama, who has hit the campaign trail in a limited capacity for some Democratic candidates, sees gaining control of Congress as essential to reversing some of the harmful policies advanced by the Trump administration during their first two years in office.
The former president is often deployed as a surrogate for Democratic candidates in strongly Democratic areas of states or swing districts in order to help turn out base voters who will be essential to successfully taking back control of either chamber of Congress.
He previously endorsed several candidates, including five who identify as LGBTQ: U.S. Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.), California congressional candidate Katie Hill, and three state legislative candidates.
In his second round of endorsements, Obama threw his support behind incumbent U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and U.S. Rep. Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), who is seeking outgoing Sen. Jeff Flake’s Senate seat. Some of his more prominent endorsements include incumbent Gov. Kate Brown (D-Ore.), gubernatorial nominee Christine Hallquist of Vermont, and congressional candidates Lauren Baer of Florida, Angie Craig of Minnesota, Sharice Davids of Kansas, Gina Ortiz Jones of Texas, and Chris Pappas of New Hampshire.
All 22 of Obama’s LGBTQ endorsements have previously been backed by the LGBTQ Victory Fund.
“President Obama is endorsing candidates who are passionate about public service and committed to making a positive difference in people’s lives, so it is unsurprising so many of our LGBTQ candidates are on the list,” Annise Parker, the former mayor of Houston and president and CEO of the Victory Fund, said in a statement.
“The experiences and struggles of LGBTQ leaders make them authentic, values-driven candidates who understand the pain and difficulties so many are facing right now,” Parker said. “We are part of every community and every constituency — women, people of color, immigrants and religious minorities — and that diversity strengthens and refines our perspectives. LGBTQ people are running for office in historic numbers not just because our community needs us, but because America needs us.”
In total, there are 224 LGBTQ candidates who will appear on the general election ballot this November, out of more than 430 who ran this cycle.
Most are running as Democrats, who have been inspired to run, in part, by their desire to curb some of the worst excesses of Donald Trump’s presidency.
The LGBTQ Victory Fund has endorsed 272 candidates this cycle, in hopes of generating a so-called “Rainbow Wave” that would ensure the LGBTQ community has a voice at the table when major policy decisions are being made that could impact their lives, livelihood, or well-being.
The fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal agents during a January 24 protest in Minneapolis has drawn sharp condemnation from LGBTQ lawmakers, as scrutiny grows over the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement and the conduct of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Pretti, a 37-year-old intensive care unit nurse at a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs hospital, was using his phone to record the actions of Customs and Border Patrol and ICE officers who had been deployed to Minneapolis amid protests over a surge of federal agents tasked with arresting and deporting non-citizens.
Speaking at a House GOP retreat, President Donald Trump warned that Democrats would seek to impeach him if they regain control of Congress in the 2026 midterm elections.
"f we don't win the midterms, it's just going to be -- I mean, they'll find a reason to impeach me," Trump said. "I'll get impeached."
Trump was first impeached in 2019, after Democrats regained control of the House during his first term, over allegations that he withheld congressionally approved military aid to Ukraine to pressure its government into announcing investigations into his political rival, former President Joe Biden.
The Trump administration has proposed two federal rules that would restrict access to gender-affirming care for transgender minors nationwide.
The proposed regulations, issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), would bar federal Medicaid funds from covering transition-related care for transgender youth under 19 and threaten to strip federal funding from hospitals that provide gender-affirming treatments to minors.
HHS officials told NBC News that CMS will begin the federal rule-making process with a 60-day public comment period, after which the rules could be finalized.
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