3 Black Gay Men Seek House Seats in 2026 as Voting Rights Erosion Reshapes Black Districts
Updated
Updated · USA TODAY · Jun 16
3 Black Gay Men Seek House Seats in 2026 as Voting Rights Erosion Reshapes Black Districts
1 articles · Updated · USA TODAY · Jun 16
Summary
A record 3 Black gay men could serve in Congress in 2027, with Elijah Manley challenging Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz in Florida and state Sen. Shevrin Jones positioned as a leading contender for Rep. Frederica Wilson’s open seat.
Those bids are unfolding as Republican-led redistricting and an April Supreme Court ruling weakening the 1965 Voting Rights Act erode Black voting power in historically Black districts.
Florida has become the clearest test case: Wasserman Schultz moved into a majority-Black district after map changes eliminated her seat, while Jones is running in a state that also passed the 2022 'Don't Say Gay' law.
Ritchie Torres, already in the House, could join Manley and Jones in making history, but activists and scholars say identity alone is insufficient if lawmakers do not deliver on material issues affecting Black and LGBTQ+ communities.