HRC: Florida Delegation Takes Important Step Toward Fairness With Election of Stephanie Murphy

by Stephen Peters

Washington -- Today, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization, released the following statement after Stephanie Murphy was declared the winner in Florida’s 7th Congressional District, defeating anti-equality Congressman John Mica.

“Stephanie Murphy will give the Orlando area LGBTQ community an important ally in Congress who will work to ensure that everyone, including LGBTQ people, can one day live free from fear of discrimination," said HRC Senior Vice President of Policy and Political Affairs JoDee Winterhof. “HRC was proud to support Stephanie Murphy’s campaign, and we look forward to working with her to pass the Equality Act and move us one step closer to equal treatment under the law for LGBTQ people.”

In 2016, HRC launched TurnOUT, its most robust get-out-the-vote effort in its more than 35-year history. This year, HRC developed an “Equality Voter Model” that gave the organization the tools needed to reach beyond HRC's 1.5 million members and supporters to target pro-equality voters in crucial races and key battleground states across the nation. The dynamic new model used years of polling conducted for HRC, public voter files and available data on voters not yet affiliated with the organization, but who have demonstrated an openness to creating a more equal and fair society. HRC’s historic effort also included deploying more than 100 staff members to races across the country, mobilizing our volunteers to commit more than 50,000 hours contacting voters and fundraising for candidates, launching an unprecedented persuasive advertising campaign, and harnessing the power of social media like never before.

There are more than 565,800 LGBTQ voters in Florida, and HRC communicated to thousands of members and supporters about the need to turn out and support pro-equality candidates up and down the ballot. HRC delivered more than 6.9 million messages via email, text message, and social media impressions to members and supporters in Florida encouraging them to vote for pro-equality candidates.

 

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

Paid for by Human Rights Campaign PAC and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.

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