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In an exclusive interview with The Advocate, Brian Sims shared his vision for Agenda PAC as it gears up for the final stretch of the high-stakes 2024 election cycle.
Agenda PAC has a new CEO. The group announced on Monday that prominent LGBTQ+ advocate, formerPennsylvania state lawmaker, and lawyer Brian Sims has assumed the role as the 2024 election approaches.
The national political action committee, founded by Ted Bordelon, who also serves as its board chair, is known for its aggressive strategies to defeat anti-LGBTQ+ politicians, and Sims says he is eager to expand its efforts.
“This is an organization I’ve been an advisor for nearly a year,” Sims, 46, told The Advocate. “The work that Agenda PAC does is unlike anything else I have seen in the political sphere, especially with respect to how it impacts LGBTQ+ rights.” He emphasized that Agenda PAC’s strategy is centered around targeting the most harmful anti-LGBTQ+ incumbents and holding them accountable.
Bordelon is confident in Sims’ ability to take the organization to the next level. “Brian is exactly the leader we need right now,” Bordelon said in a press release. “He understands the urgency of our mission, and his experience as both an advocate, policy expert, and someone who has run and won his own grassroots campaigns will help Agenda PAC take on more bigots and protect the rights of LGBTQ+ Americans.”
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Founded in 2022, with the support of out gay Pennsylvania lawmaker Malcolm Kenyatta, Agenda PAC quickly established itself as a national force in fighting anti-LGBTQ+ extremism. With a mission to unseat lawmakers with anti-equality voting records that the group called “beatable bigots,” the PAC’s campaigns have already made significant waves. One of its most successful initiatives was the School Board Sanity Project, which helped defeat Moms for Liberty candidates in 14 out of 15 school board races in Pennsylvania and New Mexico in 2023.
Agenda PAC gained further attention with its bold billboard campaign targeting U.S. Rep. Ken Calvert in California’s 41st Congressional District. The billboards reminded voters of Calvert’s long history of anti-LGBTQ+ votes, including his opposition to marriage equality. Although he came up short in 2022, this year, gay Democrat Will Rollins, a former federal prosecutor, is mounting a challenge against Calvert.
Sims has long been aware of Agenda PAC’s work and values its unique approach to political strategy, he said.
“I’ve been an advisor for nearly a year and have watched it grow,” Sims explained. “When I was approached about this opportunity in the last several months, it was something that I took very seriously. I spoke to many of the stakeholders involved and did what I needed to do to feel that this was the right time for this kind of change and this type of work.”
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Sims emphasized that Agenda PAC doesn’t just support challengers; it goes explicitly after the most egregious anti-LGBTQ+ incumbents. He noted that robust and direct messaging has been at the heart of Agenda PAC’s success and will continue to be a crucial part of its strategy.
As both a former candidate and an advisor to others running for office, Sims pointed out that resources for political campaigns are limited, so candidates often focus on teaching voters who they are and what they stand for. However, challengers facing some of the most extreme and anti-LGBTQ+ incumbents frequently have to spend all their resources explaining their platforms rather than highlighting the harmful records of their opponents.
“This is where Agenda PAC comes in,” Sims explained. He said the PAC specializes in holding these incumbents accountable by focusing on their records of sexism, homophobia, and transphobia. According to Sims, Agenda PAC’s unique approach is rooted in political science, using quantifiable data like voting records, public statements, and endorsements to identify the worst offenders and focus on those most likely to lose in upcoming races. By doing so, Agenda PAC allows challengers to focus on their values and campaigns while the PAC shines a light on the harmful actions of the incumbents they are trying to unseat.
Agenda PAC’s 2024 strategy revolves around its “Hate Squad” campaign, which targets 10 Republican incumbents with anti-LGBTQ+ records, including Calvert, Florida state legislators Susan Plasencia and Fabian Basabe, and North Carolina state lawmakers Tricia Cotham and Buck Newton.
Related: 10 Republican ‘hate squad’ lawmakers targeted by pro-LGBTQ+ Agenda PAC
“These lawmakers have actively worked to strip LGBTQ+ people of their rights, and we intend to hold them accountable,” Sims said. “Agenda PAC’s work involves identifying the worst anti-equality officials and those most likely to lose. It’s about making sure voters know what’s at stake and empowering challengers to focus on their values and their races.”
Sims highlighted the importance of political messaging in this work. Going viral or having strong messaging that calls out hate directly is critical, Sims said. Agenda PAC’s labeling of these lawmakers as “beatable bigots” and the “Hate Squad” resonates with voters, he noted, adding, “That type of messaging is at the core of the success that Agenda PAC has had up until this point and I think is going to be the root of any success we have going forward.”
Sims also touched on the PAC’s financial outlook, noting that the organization would soon announce details on allocating early donations.
“We’re about to finalize several major expenditures, and we’ll be sharing where these funds are going,” Sims said. “I’m seeing that there’s real hope and optimism among Democratic and progressive donors.”
He encouraged those interested in supporting the PAC’s mission to visit its website and social media channels for more information. “What we are hoping to see is what we saw in the last election cycle, that smaller dollar donations to an organization like ours that can go directly into independent expenditures against these awful candidates, give their challengers a real serious leg up, and give us [a strong] success rate,” Sims said. “That is why we hope and want people to support the work we’re doing.”
When asked what this new role means for him, Sims reflected on his career and excitement about leading an organization with a clear focus. “I’ve had some fun titles in my life, but this one feels different,” Sims said. “My parents were both retired lieutenant colonels in the Army, and I know what serious hard work looks like.”
He went on, “[Agenda PAC] is unique, effective, and doesn’t require the moving of mountains. It requires gathering friends and sharing information—stuff that I think I am really good at—and so if nothing else in the most important political era that I can imagine, I’m excited, and I’m really grateful to be working with some of the smartest political people I know and LGBTQ+ politics and getting to do it in this new role. It’s going to be one hell of an exciting ride if we are able to do what we think we can do, and we can do it right.”
