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‘Having mobilized Human Rights Campaign members and going door-to-door to spread the word, we are proud to have played a role in making Andy Dinniman another voice for fairness in the Pennsylvania Senate,’ said Human Rights Campaign Field Director Marty Rouse.

WASHINGTON - Yesterday’s special election in Pennsylvania’s state Senate District 19 put one more gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender-friendly elected official in office. Andy Dinniman, a 15-year county commissioner, defeated Carol Aichele, Sen. Rick Santorum’s Chester County campaign chair, in the race.

“Having mobilized Human Rights Campaign members and going door-to-door to spread the word, we are proud to have played a role in making Andy Dinniman another voice for fairness in the Pennsylvania Senate,” said Human Rights Campaign Field Director Marty Rouse. “Yesterday’s win is the kind of success that comes with teamwork and determination. It’s those same qualities that are driving the Human Rights Campaign and our allies’ efforts to defeat Senator Santorum. We expect to see the same payoff come November.”

Most pundits considered Dinniman, a Democrat, an underdog. Terry Madonna, a pollster and professor at Franklin and Marshall College, told The Philadelphia Inquirer on May 2, 2006, “If he were to win, it would be earth-shaking.” 

In the district, Republicans outnumber Democrats 2-to-1. Dinniman won 56 percent of the vote and became the first Democrat to win in the district ever. 
“The momentum is building for all the upcoming state and federal elections in Pennsylvania, and it’s on the side of equality,” added Rouse.  

The Human Rights Campaign is the largest national lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender political organization with members throughout the country. It effectively lobbies Congress, provides campaign support and educates the public to ensure that LGBT Americans can be open, honest and safe at home, at work and in the community.