Equality PAC, the political action committee aimed at supporting candidates running for federal office who are LGBT or seek to advance LGBT rights, is backing Jupiter Representative Patrick Murphy in the Florida Senate race.
“I am humbled to receive the Equality PAC’s endorsement and I am grateful for the important work they do to advance LGBT rights,” said Murphy in a statement. “Over the past few years, we have celebrated monumental victories for the LGBT community, but we have also mourned incredible loss. After the tragic attack on the LGBT community in Orlando, it is important that we renew our commitment to LGBT equality by passing the Equality Act, preventing hate crimes, and ending the outdated ban on gay blood donations. In the U.S. Senate, I will always stand firmly with the LGBT community on the right side of history.”
The political action committee was created earlier this yer by Colorado Democratic Representative Jared Polis and California Representative Mark Takano, who said that Murphy has been a “visionary leader on LGBT equality in the House.”
“We need more allies who have not just unending passion for LGBT right, but also think strategically and smartly about how to make the dream of equality a reality,” Takano said in a statement. “Patrick’s leadership in the wake of the Pulse shooting and his work as a member of the LGBT Caucus’ LGBT Aging Issues Task Force are just two examples of how he ‘gets it.’ He gets how to support our community when we’ve been attacked and how the fight for equality didn’t end with marriage, but continues on supporting LGBT populations.”
Murphy is running for the Democratic nomination for Senate in the Aug. 30 primary against Congressman Alan Grayson and former JAG Navy officer Pam Keith.
