There are currently eight gay Democratic members serving in congress. Dan Innis, Richard Tisei, and Carl DeMaio are the first openly gay Republicans ever to run in midterm elections. All three will be running in elections this year.
Innis is running for the U.S. House of Representatives. Tisei is expected to run again for the northeastern Massachusetts congressional seat after losing to the Democratic Representative John Tierney in 2012. DeMaio is running against Democratic Representative Scott Peters in San Diego.
All three Republicans must unseat a Democratic incumbent, as well as confront divisions within the GOP about their lifestyles. While the Republican Party is trying to soften their tone on divisive social issues, many religious conservatives still view homosexuality as immoral.
No Republican has ever been openly gay when first elected to congress.
