One in Three LGBT Candidates in the US Received Online Death Threats, New Report Finds

A new report, Threats on the Trail , says threats and harassment have become part of campaigning for many openly LGBT candidates in the United States. According to the study by Victory Institute and Loyola Marymount University, one in three surveyed candidates received death threats online, and one in seven experienced them in person.

The report is based on a survey of 215 LGBT candidates who ran for office between 2023 and 2025. Respondents came from 42 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, D.C., and ran at different levels, from school boards to higher offices. Victory Institute published the main findings on April 28, 2026, and a specialist outlet reported on it on May 6.

The authors stress that this is not only about hostile comments. Nearly two-thirds of respondents reported in-person hate or harassment during their campaigns, and nearly eight in ten encountered it on digital platforms. Some candidates described doxxing, threats against family members, property damage, social media abuse, and hostile messages around public events.

Fear appears before a campaign even begins. Nearly nine in ten candidates said running openly could increase the risk of harassment or attack, and about four in five feared physical violence. The report says the risks were higher for transgender, nonbinary, and other non-cisgender candidates, candidates of color, and those running in suburban, rural, or Republican-leaning districts.

The consequences affect not only safety but also how campaigns are run. More than half of candidates changed where or how they campaigned. After threats and harassment, 28% avoided door-to-door canvassing, and 27% limited social media engagement. For local campaigns, that matters because direct contact often substitutes for expensive advertising and helps candidates without large budgets remain visible.

Money makes the problem sharper. Private security or additional safety measures can reduce risk, but the report says fewer than one in ten candidates could afford such protection. The same outlet points to the case of Joanna Whaley, a transgender candidate in Michigan, who told the outlet that security had become her campaign’s largest expense.

The mental health cost was also substantial. Nearly two-thirds of candidates said attacks and threats harmed their mental health, and one in ten described the impact as severe. One respondent said they had needed counseling and still had PTSD after the past seven years in politics.

The wider context makes the findings less surprising. The Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law has previously reported, based on federal US data, that LGBT people are more likely to experience violent victimization than non-LGBT people. The new report shows how that risk can intensify in public politics, where a candidate’s identity becomes part of a visible campaign.

Victory Institute draws a practical conclusion: candidate support should include not only campaign training, but also safety planning, mental health support, and accessible resources for people without major donors or personal networks. For the report’s authors, this is not only about protecting individuals. It is also about representation: when threats push candidates out of races or make them limit public engagement, voters are left with a narrower choice.