Mark Takano May Become 1st LGBT POC U.S. Rep

Mark Takano, 50, is a serious contender to become
the first openly gay person of color elected to Congress

Mark Takano, a former school teacher who has been a longtime member of the Riverside County LGBT Asian Pacific Islander and Democratic Party communities, placed second in Tuesday's Top 2 primary election for California's 41st Congressional District, with 16,005 votes (36%) to Republican John Tavaglione's 19, 815 (45%). The Los Angeles Times describes the 41st District as having 42.3% Democratic registration and 34.9% Republican with 22.8% either Decline to State (Independent) or "Other." The 41st District is a new district drawn by the non-partisan redistricting commission and according to The Times is 6.5% Asian, 10.1% African-American, 55.9% Latino and 26.1% White. Twenty years ago, Takano lost a race to Republican Ken Calvert by 550 votes in the then-43rd Congressional district, the smallest margin in a Congressional race in the state's history.

Takano is endorsed by the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund and, if elected in November 2012, would become the first openly gay person of color elected to Congress.