David Hardt (left) and Chris Anderson, the new president and vice president respectively of the Young Democrats of America won with an overwhelming 93 percent of the vote.
Two openly gay men have been elected to lead the Young Democrats of America for the first time in the group’s history. The elections occurred at the group’s national convention in Dallas July 21.
David Hardt, 31, from Dallas, and running mate Chris Anderson, 27, from Chattanooga, Tenn., were elected president and executive vice president respectively by an overwhelming margin of 93 percent.
“Early on I didn’t realize it was that big of a deal,” Hardt said. “This just shows that party is a true indicator, that people don’t see the GLBT issue as a factor. We can lead the organization without any negative impact.”
Kyle Bailey, a board member of the National Stonewall Democrats and vice chair of the Young Democrats’ GLBT Caucus, said the Young Democrats have had gay leaders before, but they came out publicly after being elected. The election of Hardt and Andersons is significant because they were out long before they hit the campaign trail, he said.
“The Young Democrats have a large number of LGBT people,” he said. “We are 100 percent for equality, including marriage equality. Their election sends a signal to our party that there needs to be more inclusion. We have moved in that direction and this is what the Democratic National Committee will look like in 20 years.”
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