A lesbian former Bay Area councilwoman Sunday officially kicked off her second campaign for an Oregon congressional seat. Jamie McLeod-Skinner is one of at least three out candidates running for Congress in 2022 on the West Coast.
If elected, McLeod-Skinner would be Oregon's first out LGBTQ+ member of Congress. And she would be only the second out woman elected to Congress from the region, which includes the states of California, Oregon, and Washington.
In California, gay Japanese American Congressman Mark Takano (D-Riverside) is expected to seek reelection. He became the first LGBTQ congressional member from the Golden State in 2012 and the first gay person of color ever elected to Congress.