LONG BEACH, Calif. — Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia won his race in California’s new 42nd Congressional District Tuesday, becoming the first openly LGBTQ+ immigrant to be elected to Congress and just the second openly LGBTQ+ Latino ever elected to Congress. CA-42 is a majority Latino district and includes Long Beach, Signal Hill, Lakewood, Bellflower, Downey, Bell Gardens, Bell, Maywood and Huntington Park. It is primarily comprised of districts currently represented by Reps. Alan Lowenthal (D-Long Beach) and Lucille Roybal-Allard, who are retiring at the end of the 117th Congress.
Equality California, the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, released the following statement from Executive Director Tony Hoang:
“We have been proud to support Mayor Garcia from day one of this campaign, and we’re thrilled to congratulate him on this historic achievement. Voters in Southeast LA and Long Beach have spoken decisively tonight in support of the Congressman-Elect’s bold, battle-tested record of results. The LGBTQ+ community and all Californians will benefit from his leadership in Washington, D.C., and we look forward to working with him in Congress.
Garcia made history in 2014 when he was elected as Long Beach’s first openly LGBTQ+ mayor, first Latino mayor and youngest mayor in the city’s history. He is the first openly LGBTQ+ immigrant and second openly LGBTQ+ Latino elected to Congress — and the first LGBTQ+ Latino elected to Congress from California.
Equality California was the first organization to endorse Mayor Garcia for the open Congressional seat, and Equality California Votes — a super PAC aligned with the organization — ran an independent expenditure ad in support of Garcia’s campaign.
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Equality California is the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ civil rights organization. We bring the voices of LGBTQ people and allies to institutions of power in California and across the United States, striving to create a world that is healthy, just, and fully equal for all LGBTQ people. We advance civil rights and social justice by inspiring, advocating and mobilizing through an inclusive movement that works tirelessly on behalf of those we serve. www.eqca.org
