Human Rights Campaign Supporting Pro-Equality Candidates, Empowering LGBTQ+ Voters and Allies in Nevada Ahead of Election Day

by HRC Staff •

NEVADA— As Nevadans are targeted by extremist, anti-equality politicians trying to strip away the rights of LGBTQ+ people, women, and people of color, the Human Rights Campaign PAC (HRC PAC) has been mobilizing voters in support of pro-equality, pro-choice, and pro-democracy candidates across the state. HRC PAC is committed to engaging volunteers, members and supporters to mobilize the 700,000 Equality Voters in Nevada in support of pro-equality candidates up and down the ballot.

HRC-endorsed candidates include U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, Governor Steve Sisolak, Lt. Governor Lisa Cano-Burkhead, Attorney General Aaron Ford, Cisco Aguilar for Secretary of State , Zach Beare Conine for Treasurer, U.S. Representative Dina Titus, U.S. Representative Susie Lee, U.S. Representative Steven Horsford, , and a slate of state legislative and local candidates as well as a ‘Yes’ vote on Question 1, the Equality of Rights Amendment.

HRC Nevada staff engaged its grassroots network of 600 active volunteers across the state to knock on thousands of doors, canvass for pro-equality candidates, host voter registration and GOTV activities, and partner with our endorsed candidates and their campaigns. HRC Nevada has been building upon the staff and resources it has had on the ground in both Las Vegas and Reno since 2018 with seven organizing staff this election cycle.

Ahead of Election Day, Human Rights Campaign Nevada State Director Karl Catarata released the following statement:

“Make no mistake that our democracy and our rights are on the ballot this year. Election Day is less than a week away, and it’s vital that we elect pro-equality champions who will advocate for all Nevadans, including LGBTQ+ people. While some extremist candidates are obsessed with distracting voters by spreading propaganda, leaders like Senator Cortez Masto and Governor Sisolak will never stop fighting for policies that address the real issues Nevadans are facing - issues from economic security to abortion rights to election integrity. Midterm elections may be overlooked by some, but we’re working day in and day out to mobilize Equality Voters to head to the polls and make their voices heard.”

Human Rights Campaign Nevada State Director Karl Catarata

Public Support for LGBTQ+ Protections and LGBTQ+ Voting Power

Polling released in September by HRC showed that about two-thirds (64%) of likely voters in 2022 battleground states – Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin – support a law “protecting the national right to same-sex marriage.” Nevadans overwhelmingly approved enshrining marriage equality in the state constitution in 2020 with a vote of 62.4% in favor and 37.6% opposed.

According to a 2021 PRRI survey, 85% of Nevadans support non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people.

LGBTQ+ Americans are projected to become one of the fastest growing voting blocs in the country, growing at a scale, scope, and speed that will fundamentally reshape the American electoral landscape, according to a report from the Human Rights Campaign and Bowling Green State University. The report — Equality Electorate: The Projected Growth of the LGBTQ+ Voting Bloc in Coming Years — projects that by 2030 approximately 14.3% of voters nationally–and 17.1% of voters in Nevada–will be LGBTQ+, representing a sharp increase over the current one-in-ten. The LGBTQ+ bloc is projected to continue surging in the decade following, nearing one-in-five voters nationally and exceeding that in Nevada by 2040, emerging as among one of the most influential voting constituencies in the country whose impact will permanently transform and reshape the American electoral landscape.

HRC’s Commitment to Nevada

HRC Nevada is building upon the staff and resources it has had on the ground in both Las Vegas and Reno since 2018. Equality Voters, including the more than 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 PAC works every day to elect pro-equality leaders who advocate for 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.

Contact Us

To make a general inquiry, please visit our contact page. Members of the media can reach our press office at: (202) 572-8968 or email press@hrc.org.