Victory Fund Releases "10 Races to Watch" List

A young hero who emerged from the Rep. Gabrielle Giffords shooting tragedy in Arizona and a former San Francisco supervisor vying to become the city's first openly gay mayor are among the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund's 10 Races to Watch in November.

"You hear some call 2011 an 'off year' for politics, but that's wrong," Victory Fund director of campaign services Shawn Werner said. "We've endorsed 75 candidates this year, largely in municipal elections. These local races are incredibly important. We don't just win equality nationally or even statewide. We win it every day, city by city and town by town."

Among the organization's highlighted candidates, via Victory Fund:

Bevan Dufty, San Francisco Mayor - A former San Francisco Supervisor who represented the same district as Harvey Milk for 8 years, Dufty is prepared to continue Milk's legacy and serve as the top elected official in the city. A victory in this race would make him San Francisco's first openly LGBT mayor.

Daniel Hernandez, Jr., Sunnyside Unified School District Board of Governors, Tucson, Ariz. - When his boss, Rep. Gabriel Giffords, was shot along with numerous others at a district event in Tucson, Hernandez sprang into action and is credited with helping to save Giffords' life.

LaWana Mayfield, Charlotte, N.C., City Council - Mayfield's primary victory made national news because Charlotte has never elected an openly LGBT city council member. She'll finish the job and join the council if she wins her general election.

Read the full list at Gay Politics.