This story originally appeared on The Advocate.
Weeks before her congressional primary, Marni von Wilpert received a call that upended every campaign calculation. Doctors had detected early-stage breast cancer.
Her first response, she recalled, was that she didn’t have time. She was running for Congress to represent her California district.
Surgery followed. Sitting in hospital waiting rooms, the San Diego City Council member thought about the security of knowing she could afford the care that might save her life — and the Americans who could not.
“And the person who wins my election will have the power to vote on who has access to health care in this country and who does not,” von Wilpert told The Advocate.
In Michigan, state Sen. Jeremy Moss describes the connection between identity and governing through a different encounter. When someone demanded to know why he focused on the “gay agenda” instead of fixing roads, he had a ready answer.
“I said, well, part of my gay agenda is fixing the roads because actually gay people drive on them too,” Moss recalled.
Their campaigns are part of an effort to expand LGBTQ+ representation and help Democrats reclaim the House. In separate interviews with The Advocate, von Wilpert, Moss, and Equality PAC co-chairs Reps. Mark Takano and Ritchie Torres described the electoral strategy, legislative ambitions, and personal stakes behind that effort.
“We have the potential to elect up to 17 openly LGBTQ members of Congress, the gayest Congress in U.S. history,” Torres said.
Equality PAC’s endorsement roster lists 16 candidates. Together with Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin, whose term runs through 2031, victories across the slate could produce a 17-member LGBTQ+ contingent.
Related: 27 groundbreaking LGBTQ+ politicians & public officials who are moving equality forward
Von Wilpert: Health care and equal rights
Von Wilpert faces Republican Jim Desmond in California’s 48th Congressional District, seeking the seat being vacated by Darrell Issa.
She said Equality PAC’s fundraising assistance and connections to LGBTQ+ lawmakers have been a “game changer for my campaign.” Her priorities include restoring health care funding and Affordable Care Act subsidies, strengthening workers’ organizing rights, and passing the Equality Act.
When Republicans attack transgender inclusion, she returns to what voters tell her about gasoline, groceries, and medical bills.
“Nobody asks me about high school sports,” she said, while pledging to defend transgender people’s rights.
“You know, we as Democrats can’t just be against Trump,” von Wilpert said. “We have to be for a better future for this country.”
Related: The LGBTQ+ political wins in an otherwise devastating election
Moss: Turning visibility into legislation
Moss, who could become Michigan’s first out LGBTQ+ member of Congress, has already helped turn that argument into state law. He sponsored legislation that expanded Michigan’s Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act to protect sexual orientation and gender identity explicitly, and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed it in 2023 with bipartisan support.
That required sustained conversations with colleagues, including some initially hostile to LGBTQ+ rights.
“If you’re only talking with the 40 percent of people who agree with you, at the end of the day, you’re going to still have 40 percent of people agreeing with you,” Moss said.
He wants to bring that approach to Congress and help pass the Equality Act. He also sees familiar tactics in attacks on transgender people.
“The anti-trans playbook is the same thing as the anti-gay playbook from 20 years ago, 30 years ago,” Moss said. “It’s picking on the most vulnerable amongst us just for political liftoff.”
Related: There’s record LGBTQ+ representation in elected offices nationwideTakano: The path to a majority
Takano sees LGBTQ+ candidates as potentially decisive to House control, provided Democrats hold their existing seats.
“They alone would be decisive,” he said.
Alongside von Wilpert, the opportunities include Army veteran Cait Conley’s challenge to Republican Mike Lawler in New York, Marine veteran JoAnna Mendoza’s race against Republican Juan Ciscomani in Arizona, and Indiana state Sen. J.D. Ford’s challenge to Republican Victoria Spartz.
Takano cautioned that von Wilpert’s race, in particular, should not be treated as assured.
“It’s not a slam dunk district,” he said.
He also highlighted New Hampshire Rep. Chris Pappas, who could become the first out gay man elected to the Senate. Pappas was scheduled to speak with The Advocate, but his team canceled due to scheduling issues.
Takano described LGBTQ+ voters as motivated by the consequences of Republican control.
“Our community has been under siege,” he said. “We’ve been suffering, quite frankly.”
Torres: Representation with consequences
Torres said Equality PAC was on track to raise $27 million for a pro-equality majority by the cycle’s end. He expressed optimism about Democratic gains while insisting the organization was taking nothing for granted.
His argument for electing more LGBTQ+ lawmakers also concerns what happens inside Congress. He pointed to Delaware Rep. Sarah McBride, the first out transgender member, and her ability to reach colleagues.
“She’s able to persuade based on the power of her arguments, but also the power of personal relationships,” Torres said.
He rejected suggestions that Democrats should embrace anti-trans politics.
“Especially Democrats, we cannot become the very evil that we seek to resist,” he said.
The co-chairs’ confidence remains a campaign assessment, with the outcome unsettled. Torres said preparation includes defending legitimate election results.
“We’re hoping for the best, preparing for the worst, and we’re prepared not only to win our elections democratically, but to defend the results of those elections, the integrity of those elections,” he said.
