Human Rights Campaign endorses Tyler Titus in bid for Erie County Executive
Nation's top LGBTQ organization throws support behind trans school board member's potentially historic campaign.
The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBTQ rights organization, has endorsed Dr. Tyler Titus in their bid for Erie County Executive. If elected in November, the Pennsylvania resident would become the country’s first-ever transgender county executive.
The endorsement comes following other key endorsements lining up to support the Democratic nominee in a swing county that former President Donald Trump won in 2016 but President Joe Biden narrowly won in last year’s presidential election.
Other organizations supporting Titus include: LGBTQ Victory Fund, Run for Something, the Working Families Party, and Planned Parenthood. Titus also previously received a key endorsement from Gov. Tom Wolf, a fellow Democrat who has fared well in the county during his two gubernatorial bids.
“Dr. Tyler Titus’s historic candidacy is an incredible opportunity to put a strong LGBTQ+ advocate in a powerful executive office and advance the cause of equality for all,” Human Rights Campaign Pennsylvania State Director Ryan Matthews said in a statement.
“Their work to advance LGBTQ+ equality in the state speaks for itself and if elected, we know they will continue to speak out and do the hard work to make Pennsylvania a safer and more equitable place to live.
“Erie County deserves the committed and hardworking leadership Dr. Titus would bring to county government on their behalf, which is why the Human Rights Campaign is so proud to endorse their campaign,” Matthews added.
Titus, a mental health professional and small business owner who previously worked as a full-time therapist for the Erie County Office of Children and Youth, was first elected in 2017 to the Erie City District School Board.
In May, Titus pulled off an upset in a four-way primary race, earning the Democratic nomination putting them in good position to win the general election in a swing county that leans slightly Democratic.
Titus thanked the Human Rights Campaign for its endorsement in a statement.
“The Human Rights Campaign has been on the frontlines of the fight for LGBTQ+ equality for over 40 years,” Titus said. “They have helped countless candidates achieve success in legislative offices and, with this endorsement, recognize the critical next step of electing queer and trans executives. This campaign is for every child who has been told they don’t belong — that they don’t deserve a seat at the table. This campaign — and my partnership with HRC — will show them that they deserve to sit at the head.”
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