LGBTQ+ rights have long been a major issue in American politics, with debates surrounding marriage equality, transgender healthcare, education, and anti-discrimination protections continuing to shape elections across the country — and the 2026 midterms were no exception. In fact, midterm elections are especially important, because many of the decisions affecting LGBTQ+ Americans are made at the state and local levels. So, how did the 2026 election impact LGBTQ+ rights?
This election season, voters were given many opportunities to weigh in on the future of LGBTQ+ rights, with multiple pro- and anti-LGBTQ+ candidates running for congressional seats, statewide offices, and state legislatures across the nation. In addition to selecting candidates for representatives, voters in quite a few states also faced ballot measures that addressed issues such as marriage equality, transgender athlete participation in school sports, gender affirming healthcare for minors, and parental involvement in education.
And while the fight for LGBTQ+ equality is still ongoing, there were many notable wins for LGBTQ+ rights from the 2026 midterm elections. Here are some of the most impactful.
LGBTQ+ & Ally Candidates Win Multiple Seats
More than 20 queer candidates won various seats in this year’s midterms, and some of them even made history. In New Hampshire, Chris Pappas won his race and will become the first openly gay man ever elected to the U.S. Senate. Michigan’s first out LGBTQ+ member of state legislature, Jeremy Moss, was elected to the U.S. House, beating out Republican opponent Ethan Baker. And in a closely monitored race in Arizona, JoAnna Mendoza — an openly queer Marine veteran — won her race to represent Arizona’s 6th Congressional District in the U.S. House, beating out incumbent Republican Juan Ciscomani. Plus, Georgia’s Bentley Hudgins, Delaware’s DeShanna Neal, Montana’s Zooey Zephyr, Alabama’s Allison Montgomerey, and Michigan’s Joanna Whaley are five nonbinary and transgender candidates who also won their races this season to their respective state’s House of Representatives.
Many trailblazing LGBTQ+ politicians were also reelected during this year’s midterms — and the following are just a few of them: Sarah McBride, the country’s first openly transgender lawmaker, won reelection in Delaware’s at-large congressional district this year. Sharice Davids of Kansas also won reelection to Congress as the state’s first openly queer Congressperson. Davids is also one of the country’s first two Native American women elected to the U.S. House. Ritchie Torres, the first publicly gay Afro-Latino member of Congress, won a fourth term to represent New York’s 15th Congressional District in Washington.
Many other queer candidates also saw election and reelection in their races — as did allies of the LGBTQ+ communities — furthering the influence that LGBTQ+ voices will have on both state and federal legislature.
Ballot Measure Victories For The LGBTQ+ Community
Even in the face of adversity, the LGBTQ+ community still saw some major wins from this year’s election results. In Virginia, voters decided to remove the state’s unenforceable ban on same-sex marriage, making marriage equality a constitutional right. (Same-sex marriage is already legal, but codifying it into the state constitution protects this right against future attacks.) In Missouri, voters rejected a proposal to ban puberty blockers, hormone therapy, and gender-affirming surgery for minors. (The proposal also included an abortion ban, meaning this decision counts as a win for both LGBTQ+ rights and reproductive rights.)
Of course, there were also some losses (specifically in terms of trans rights issues) and as of Nov. 4, votes are still being counted for some of the other LGBTQ+ issues that were on ballots this year; results are expected in the coming days or even weeks. Regardless of those outcomes, the LGBT+ community already has much to celebrate — and elected officials and organizers have plenty of work to do to keep fighting for rights as we head into the 2028 presidential election.