The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund today announced it has endorsed 76 openly lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender political candidates in 2009, making this endorsement slate the group’s largest ever in a non-federal election year.

Chuck Wolfe, the Victory Fund’s president and CEO, said the record number of endorsed candidates in 2009 bodes well for progress in the near future:  “LGBT officials are our best hope of reaching full equality for all Americans.  By running openly and honestly, they’re changing the political landscape.  When elected, they’ll be our voice inside government, and that is irreplaceable.”

The Victory Fund also announced its ten highlighted races for the remainder of the election cycle. The candidates are:

Nickie Antonio – Candidate for Lakewood, Ohio City Council
Simone Bell – Candidate for Georgia State House
Fred Chang – Candidate for Port Orchard, Washington City council
Rob Holland – Candidate for Seattle, Washington Port Commission
Steve Kornell – Candidate for St. Petersburg, Florida City Council
Annise Parker – Candidate for Mayor of Houston, Texas
Charles Pugh – Candidate for Detroit, Michigan City Council
Christine Quinn – Candidate for New York City Council
Amaad Rivera – Candidate for Springfield, Massachusetts City Council
Jack Zatz – Candidate for Marlboro, New Jersey Township Council

For more information about all 76 endorsed candidates, go to Victory’s interactive map.