News

Steve May Wins GOP Primary in Arizona

Gay Republican Beats Crowded Field to Make History in State House Race

September 9, 1998

(WASHINGTON, DC) – A gay Republican candidate made history in Arizona last night by out-polling six other Republicans in the primary election to fill one of two state House of Representatives seats from House District 26 in east Phoenix.

By getting the most votes in the primary, and winning the GOP nomination for one of the two seats in this overwhelmingly Republican district, Steve May is virtually certain to win election to the Arizona House in November – the first openly gay Republican to be elected to the Arizona legislature and the second gay Republican in American history to win election to a state legislature, following Oregon Rep. Chuck Carpenter (R). May also serves on the national Board of Directors of Log Cabin Republicans.

If elected in November, May will join two other prominent gay Republicans in office in Arizona – Congressman Jim Kolbe (R), who chairs a House Appropriations subcommittee in Congress, and Mayor Neil Giuliano (R) of Tempe, who won re-election earlier this year.

"We are very proud of Steve and we share in celebrating his primary victory," said Richard Tafel, executive director of Log Cabin Republicans. "He is a role model for all of us, and I know his success will inspire other gay Republicans around the nation to get out and run for office next year."

Log Cabin also praised the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund for its strong support of May's campaign.

"The continuing hard work on behalf of gay Republican candidates by the Victory Fund has set a standard for all so-called non-partisan gay organizations to follow," Tafel said. "Our partnership is stronger than ever, and we are proud to share a common goal in moving a truly bi-partisan gay movement forward across the nation."

Here are the preliminary vote totals in the GOP field:

Candidate	Votes
May	4,039
Hatch-Miller	3,698
Horne	2,869
Mills	2,375
Jungermann	2,014
Lemmon	1,608
Roysden	738