The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) – the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) civil rights organization – announced its endorsement of Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan for reelection. HRC PAC is committed to engaging its volunteers, members and supporters to mobilize the nearly 700,000 Equality Voters in Minnesota in support of Gov. Walz, Lt. Gov. Flanagan, and other pro-equality candidates up and down the ballot.

A Record as Champions of Equality

Gov. Tim Walz and Lieutenant Gov. Peggy Flanagan have illustrated their support for LGBTQ+ initiatives through targeted pro-equality legislation. In July of 2021, Gov. Walz signed an executive order banning the practice of so-called “conversion therapy” for minors.

Human Rights Campaign Interim President Joni Madison released the following statement:

“Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan are proven leaders and longtime champions for equality. They’ve fought to ensure that Minnesota remains welcoming to all and they have consistently stood with the LGBTQ+ community, including LGBTQ+ youth, by banning “conversion therapy” in the state last year. Because of their leadership, the LGBTQ+ community in Minnesota is safer, healthier, and more free to be who they are. The Human Rights Campaign is proud to support their bids for reelection.”

Governor Tim Walz released the following statement:

"When I was a history teacher at Mankato West High School in the 1990's, I helped start the school’s first Gay-Straight Alliance. Since then, we have come so far on LGBTQ+ equality – and we can’t afford to go backward. Clarence Thomas’ Supreme Court opinion made it clear that the right-wing extremists who are eliminating reproductive rights are coming for our LGBTQ+ neighbors next. I am honored to have HRC’s support as we fight to protect and expand equality in Minnesota.”

Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan released the following statement:

"The fight for LGBTQ+ rights is all about ensuring that queer and gender non-conforming Minnesotans feel safe, seen, and protected. I am deeply honored to receive the endorsement of HRC, because together we must continue fighting for a state where our LGBTQ+ relatives, neighbors, and friends feel valued and loved."

HRC’s Commitment to Minnesota

Equality Voters, including the nearly 700,000 in Minnesota, are a voting bloc of demographically and geographically diverse Americans who are united by the advancement of LGBTQ+ equality. Equality Voters are younger, more racially diverse, and more female than the general electorate, they recognize and trust the HRC brand, and they are more likely to identify with issue-specific organizations than candidates or political parties. HRC helps inform these voters on candidates by keeping them up to date on political, legislative and LGBTQ+ related news found here.

HRC has had a large volunteer presence in Minnesota for many years . Across the country, HRC PAC works every day to elect pro-equality leaders who support policies that will support the rights and lives of LGBTQ+ people. During the 2020 election cycle, HRC staff on the ground recruited 5,800 individual volunteers nationwide who completed 28,500 hours of voter contact in more than 2,650 volunteer events. HRC engaged in robust digital and online GOTV efforts, including sending over 2.7 million person-to-person text messages, a massive increase from 2018 when approximately 500,000 texts were sent. HRC sent over 2.5 million mail pieces, had over 930,000 phone conversations with voters, and engaged more than 200,000 voters through HRC’s voter dashboard at hrc.org/vote.