James Freeman of the Wall Street Journal thinks Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) could be facing his most serious challenge from a Republican candidate in years.  After Sen.-elect Scott Brown’s remarkable victory in the Bay State, Democrats are looking over their shoulders to make sure they aren’t caught flat-footed in the same way the campaign of Martha Coakley was.  Writes Freeman:

In the wake of Scott Brown’s Senate election victory in Massachusetts, Republicans are increasingly confident they can break the Democratic monopoly on the state’s 10 House seats. In fact, Massachusetts GOP chair Jennifer Nassour says: “There is not a seat that is not vulnerable.”

Freeman goes on to note Frank’s win in 2008, with a whopping 68% of the vote, was one of his smallest margins of victory in years:  ”In many years, he ran unopposed, collecting virtually 100% of the vote. And because Mr. Frank’s decline began even before the recent rebellion over health-care reform and deficit spending, a good bet is that he’s been neglecting basic constituent services.”

But Mark Glaze, a Democratic strategist with the Washington, D.C.-based Raben Group says Freeman may be engaged in some wishful thinking.  ”Barney has the finest constituent service of any member in the House.  His (recent) vote totals in part reflect an expensive, effective campaign by some on the right to falsely blame him for a financial crisis he’s in fact fighting very hard to fix.”

But if it begins to look like Frank has a real fight on his hands, will the LGBT community pitch in to protect the longest-serving openly gay Member of Congress?  Asked the question today, Victory Fund president and CEO Chuck Wolfe gave a rather definitive answer.  ”Hell yes.”

President Obama today strongly endorsed extending domestic partner benefits to gay and lesbian couples, specifically mentioning a bill introduced by Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) that would do just that for federal workers.  Responding to a questioner at a Tampa, Fla. town hall-style appearance, Obama said:

“As I said last night my belief is that a basic principal in our Constitution is that if you’re obeying the law, if you’re following the rules, that you should be treated the same regardless of who you are.

“I think that principle applies to gay and lesbian couples, so at the federal level one of the things that we’re trying to do is to make sure that partnerships are recognized for purposes of benefits, so that hospital visitation for example is something that is permitted, so that social security or pension benefits or others, that same-sex couples are recognized in all those circumstances.

“We actually have an opportunity of passing a law that’s been introduced in congress right now and my hope is that this year we can get it done just for federal employees and federal workers. A lot of companies on their own, some of the best run companies, have adopted these practices. I think it’s the right thing to do and it makes sense for us to take a leadership role in ensuring that people are treated the same.

“Regardless of your personal opinions the notion that somebody’ who’s working really hard for 30 years can’t take their death benefits and transfer them to the person that they love most in the world and who has supported them their whole lives doesn’t seem fair, doesn’t seem right and I think it’s the right thing to do.”

Watch a video of the remarks at Towleroad.  Follow progress on Baldwin’s Domestic Partner Benefits and Obligations Act here.

In a statement released today, Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Penn.), a former Navy Admiral, reminded Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) that he is “the senior ranking military Veteran in Congress,” and chided McCain for his comments last night rejecting President Obama’s call for the repeal of the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy on gay troops:

“As the senior ranking military Veteran in Congress, I am compelled to respond to Sen. McCain’s opposition to President Obama’s commitment to allowing all American troops to serve their country openly and honestly. How can a policy that has dismissed more than 13,000 trained, able, and honorable American servicemembers — including upwards of 800 troops with “mission critical” skills, like Arab linguists — be viewed as successful?

“Especially in a time of war, when our military is overstretched and our troops and their families are under unprecedented strain, we cannot afford to lose any more troops that the American people depend on for our national security. I agree with Sen. McCain that our military is the best in the world and the best in our nation’s history. That’s precisely why I have faith in the leadership capabilities of our officer corps and non-commissioned officers, as well as the dedication, professionalism, and integrity of our troops, to handle this transition without detriment to readiness or capability.

“The men and women who wear the cloth of this nation should be entitled to the rights they so heroically defend.”

Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.) has introduced a bill that would make discrimination against or harassment of LGBT students in public schools against federal law, according to the Denver Post:

“It’s a well-tried area of law,” said Polis, one of three openly gay members of Congress. “Title IX already applies to gender, so we’re not creating a whole new thing, we’re simply adding a new category.”

The protections offered by the legislation would be broad, and would hold school officials liable for failing to stop bullying of gay students in schools — or even students who were perceived to be gay by their peers.

“In many cases they might very well be straight boys who are feminine and are discriminated against because of that or beaten up because of that,” said Polis, whose bill now has 58 co-sponsors in the House. “It’s a very common occurrence and I think anybody who has been to junior high or high school anywhere in the country is familiar with that concept.”

Photo:  Metro Weekly

Elected officials often serve as an important bridge between advocates and government, and that’s especially true of openly LGBT politicians.  In states where out officials serve, they often become the face and voice of the LGBT community, working alongside state and local organizations to grow our visibility and make the case for pro-equality laws and policies.

But six states still are without a single openly LGBT public official, and the Victory Fund is working to change that.  Our political staff is meeting with local and state LGBT leaders and political party operatives to gauge the short- and long-term prospects for electing out officials.

They’re also recruiting potential candidates and campaign workers to attend the vital Candidate & Campaign Training sessions held at least four times each year around the U.S.  (The next one will be in held in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, February 25-28.  Go here to learn more.)

So if you live in Alaska, Kansas, Mississippi, North Dakota, South Dakota or West Virginia (or anywhere else!) and you’ve thought about running for office or want to help elect someone who’s planning to run, contact our staff and learn more about attending a training session this year.

To find LGBT elected officials in your state, use our Out Officials Map.