Post submitted by Stephen Peters,  former Senior National Press Secretary and Spokesperson   

HRC announced its endorsement of David Shapiro (D) in his bid to represent Florida’s 16th Congressional District.

“For more than three decades as an attorney, David Shapiro has fought against discrimination and worked for justice and equality,” said HRC National Field Director Marty Rouse. “With the proven experience, dedication, and commitment needed to move LGBTQ equality forward, he will stand up in Congress for all of the hard-working families in his district. HRC is proud to endorse David Shapiro.”

“I’m honored to have earned the endorsement of the Human Rights Campaign,” said David Shapiro. “They have been instrumental in the fight for equality for our LGBTQ+ friends, family, and neighbors, and I’m proud to have them in my corner as we bring change to Washington.”

Shapiro’s passion in life to defend people who may have never had a voice, comes from his parents. While neither of his parents went to college, they instilled in Shapiro and his two sisters the value of education, hard work and treating all people with respect. Shapiro has spent his professional life fighting for justice, and working to find common ground and real solutions. If elected to Congress, Shapiro has pledged to support the Equality Act — critically important federal legislation that would finally add clear, comprehensive non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ people to our nation's civil rights laws.

Shapiro is seeking to replace Rep. Vern Buchanan (R), an opponent of LGBTQ equality who has consistently scored an absymal “zero” throughout his time in Congress on the HRC Congressional Scorecard.

Across the state of Florida, HRC has identified nearly 700,000 LGBTQ voters and more than 3.2 million “Equality Voters” — meaning they are strong supporters of progressive LGBTQ policies including marriage equality, equitable family law, and laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. Last year, HRC announced a coast-to-coast campaign to mobilize these voters for the midterm elections called HRC Rising, which represents the largest grassroots expansion in the organization’s 38-year history.