The 2018 elections were historic: More people of color, women, and openly LGBTQ people have been elected to all levels of government than ever before. And voter turnout was the highest we’ve seen for any midterm election in modern history — with young people and people of color showing up in unprecedented numbers.
This year was important for LCV as well. LCV Victory Fund and our state affiliates made our biggest investment in any election ever, both federally and in the states. Racial justice and equity are integral components of LCV’s work to elect and support pro-environment candidates at the federal, state, and local level. Representation is one of LCV’s core values, so we conscientiously endorsed candidates who would move our government to be more representative of the diverse identities of our country.
While we still have a long way to go to achieve parity in both our own work and our political system, we were proud to have supported so many candidates who achieved historic and monumental firsts.
The results are still not final in every race, we are excited about these unprecedented achievements:
All of these historic wins were fueled by a racially diverse, people-powered movement that extended across the country. LCV Victory Fund partnered with Priorities USA and Latino Victory Fund, among others, to reach and turnout more voters of color and young voters than ever before.
While these numbers show great progress, it’s important to note that women, LGBTQ identifying people, Native Americans, and people of color in elected office are still greatly underrepresented. LCV and our state affiliates will continue to strive to build a stronger, more representative democracy at all levels of government
Read more about LCV’s work to advance equitable, accessible, and open elections through state-level ballot initiatives.
