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

“By committing himself to protecting and empowering vulnerable communities, Attorney General Aaron Ford has gained a well-deserved reputation for being a dedicated and successful advocate in the fight for equality. Combating injustice has been at the forefront of Ford’s political career, from passing pro-LGBTQ+ legislation to confronting discriminatory policy. We applaud Ford’s efforts as he works towards making Nevada a safe and inclusive place for all Nevadans. We are proud to endorse Attorney General Aaron Ford for reelection and will work to ensure that he can continue to make a positive impact through his admirable leadership”

Attorney General Aaron Ford released the following statement:

“It is an honor to receive the endorsement of the Human Rights Campaign — and I am so grateful to have their support in my critical re-election. I've always promised that my office will be steadfast in its use of every legal tool at its disposal to fight for the LGBTQIA+ community’s rights. As Attorney General, Nevada's LGBTQ community has been able to count on me to defend them against any attempts to discriminate based on who they love and to ensure everyone is treated equally under the law, with measures including: banning dangerous conversion therapy for minors, protecting the privacy of transgender Nevadans, passing landmark anti-discrimination measures, and more. Discrimination has no place in Nevada, and I believe every resident is entitled to equal protection under the law. I’m humbled to have HRC’s continued partnership in this fight.”

A Record as a Champion of Equality

During his time as Nevada’s Attorney General, Ford prioritized combating injustice through targeted policy initiatives including a statewide ban on so-called “conversion therapy” for minors. In 2020, Ford issued a statement applauding the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold LGBTQ+ workplace protections under Title VII reinforcing his belief that “discrimination has no place in Nevada.” Most recently, Ford joined a coalition of state attorneys general advocating against Arkansas’ anti-LGBTQ+ law prohibiting healthcare professionals from providing gender-affirming medical care for youth. Before Ford’s political and legal career, he worked as a public school math teacher. He changed careers and became a lawyer and then went on to serve two terms in the Nevada State Senate, rising to become Minority Leader in 2015 and Majority Leader in 2016. He was endorsed by HRC in 2018 and became the first Black person to hold statewide constitutional office in Nevada in 2019 after he was elected as Nevada’s Attorney General.

HRC’s Commitment to Nevada

Equality Voters, including the 700,000+ in Nevada, 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.

Across the country, HRC 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.