“Joe Radinovich is a champion of equality who will fight for all of Minnesota’s hard-working families,” saidHRC Senior Vice President for Policy and Political Affairs JoDee Winterhof. “His commitment to justice and equality make him the clear choice for Minnesota’s fair-minded voters. As a state legislator, Joe stood firmly on the right side of history in a vote for marriage equality because he knew it was the right thing to do — even though he faced backlash from some vocal opponents. HRC is proud to endorse Joe Radinovich, and we look forward to working closely with him in Congress to advance LGBTQ equaltiy.

“Something that is at the very core of who I am is the constant drive to fight like hell for every member of our community. That’s especially true for those who have been denied the right to live a full and free life, just because they were born lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender,” said Joe Radinovich. “What we need in this country is a Congress full of people who are actually committed to fulfilling the promise of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for ALL. That’s my promise to the people of the 8th District, that I’ll fight for equal education, healthcare, and aging with dignity for every American. I am so grateful for the Human Rights Campaign’s endorsement and I look forward to working with them to keep making progress on behalf of everyone in our community, and especially LGBT Minnesotans.”

Joe experienced personal tragedy in high school when his mother was shot and killed in their kitchen at the hands of another family member. It is an experience Joe describes as “another story about a woman who had a different plan for her life than a man did.” This experience showed Joe the importance of community, public education, and strengthening the middle class in hard times. It was because of his dad's good union job that Joe and his family were able to get the care they needed to get through those hard times. Joe has pushed for expanding opportunities for everyone in Minnesota when he represented Aitkin and Crow Wing counties in the Minnesota House of Representatives.

In Minnesota, HRC has identified more than 750,000 voters as likely “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 voters for the midterm elections called HRC Rising, which represents the largest grassroots expansion in the organization’s 38-year history.

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community. 

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