Two openly gay congressmen have endorsed Maryland state Del. Joe Vogel (D-Montgomery County) in the race for Maryland’s 6th Congressional District seat. 

Vogel announced his candidacy on May 8. He would be Maryland’s first openly LGBTQ and first Latino congressman.

Equality PAC endorsed Vogel on June 21, making it the first organization to endorse in the race and the PAC’s first endorsement of this election cycle. U.S. Reps. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) and Mark Takano (D-Calif.), who co-chair Equality PAC, have announced their support for the freshman Maryland lawmaker. The announcement coincides with Equality PAC’s support of Congressional candidates Julie Johnson and Will Rollins, who are running to represent Texas’ 32nd Congressional District and California’s 41st Congressional District respectively.

“In Maryland, state Del. Joe Vogel has a strong track record of standing up for our community and will make sure this swing seat elects someone who will fight for equality,” Torres and Takano said in a press release. “As we speak, our community is facing an unprecedented level of attacks, targeting trans people, children, and families. Making sure we have representation in Congress is a critical component to protecting these vulnerable communities. We look forward to working with all these candidates to build winning campaigns and fulfill Equality PAC’s mission to elect more LGBTQ persons to federal office and to ensure a pro-equality majority in Congress.”

Vogel, 26, was born in Uruguay and immigrated with his family to Rockville when he was 3-years old. 

As one of the youngest members of Maryland’s House of Delegates, Vogel has supported a number of progressive bills and positions. During his tenure, Vogel has introduced more than 75 bills, including a measure to establish a commission on hate crime response and prevention, which Gov. Wes Moore signed into law in May, and the Event-Goer Rights and Accountable Sales (ERAS) Act, which would require companies to enforce policies that prevent ticket price gouging. 

“We’ve been all over the district during Pride month and having conversations with people from Cumberland to Frederick to Gaithersburg about the challenges facing our community, the progress we’ve made and what the future holds,” Vogel said. “I think folks are excited about the representation that we’re offering and I want people to know that I take these issues personally. I will be a champion for our community in Congress.”

Congressman David Trone currently represents Maryland’s 6th Congressional District.

The incumbent Democrat announced in May that he is running for retiring U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.)’s seat. Stephen McDow and state Del. Lesley Lopez (D-Montgomery County) are in the race alongside Vogel.

Vogel said that when deciding who to vote for, he hopes his record, and not just his identity, in the House of Delegates will speak for itself to voters. Vogel also said Congress needs more members who look like him.

“When you hear about the issues that I’m focused on on the campaign trail, it’s issues that matter to every person in this district, regardless of your gender identity or sexual orientation,” Vogel said. “It’s mental health, it’s gun violence, it’s the climate crisis, it’s job creation, it’s transportation, it’s housing rights. All of these issues that affect every family in this community, but … I think we need more people who understand what it’s like to be part of [the LGBTQ] community and will make our issues a priority.”